Emma Mclean-Riggs, Part 1: Immigration, The Constitution, & Determination

Join Colorado Radio for Justice hosts Tiffany McCoy and Trevor Jones as they dive into a critical conversation with Emma Mclean-Riggs, Senior Staff Attorney from the ACLU of Colorado. Emma discusses the alarming escalations in ICE detention expansions, unlawful deportations by the Trump Administration under the Alien Enemies Act, and the challenges faced by Venezuelan immigrants in Colorado and beyond. Mclean-Riggs shares the ACLU of Colorado's multi-faceted approach to defending civil liberties in today's shifting political climate, from litigation and policy advocacy to community organizing. And she shares what fuels her relentless fight for justice and the constitutional principles at stake: the human beings whose lives and futures are on the line.

UNLOCKING CHANGE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org

00:00 Introduction

01:57 Meet Emma Mclean-Riggs and the ACLU of Colorado

03:12 ICE: A Pressing Concern

06:59 DBU v. Trump, ACLU of Colorado's Lawsuit

25:25 What Motivates & Sustains Emma in Her Work

27:15 Why Call Prisons "Cages"?

32:31 Children & Trauma from Family Separation