Connections: Local immigrants react to the Trump administration's policies

About half of the children under the age of five separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border were reunited with their parents by Tuesday’s deadline, but the Trump administration says it was not able to reunite all of the children in that age group by that time.

Local immigrants are reacting to this news and to policies set by the White House. We hear their immigration stories and what being in America means to them. In studio:

Akil Al-Jaysh, refugee from Iraq, U.S. citizen, refugee case manager at Catholic Family Center, and adjunct lecturer of Arabic at SUNY Geneseo

Tek Acharyam, refugee from Bhutan, U.S. citizen, case manager and social worker

Rose Tomlinson, immigrant from Jamaica, permanent resident, and small business owner

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In the last six weeks, nearly 2,000 children have been separated from their parents after crossing the southern border without proper documentation. While their parents are sent to immigration detention centers or to jail, the children are sent to government facilities or foster care. The move is part of the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” immigration policy.

Activists across the country are protesting that policy, and many of those activists are immigrants themselves. This hour, we hear their stories and discuss the challenges they face. They also discuss what they’d like to see in terms of a national policy on immigration. Our guests:

Author Reyna Grande says there are voices missing from the conversation about immigration reform -- those of undocumented children. Grande crossed the border into the U.S. from Mexico when she was nine years old. In her new memoir, The Distance Between Us, she writes about the extreme poverty she and her siblings experienced in Mexico, and why a chance at a better life in the U.S. ripped her family apart. It's a true story of trauma, struggle, and hope - one that Grande says she hopes will help change misconceptions about immigrants in the U.S.

The Distance Between Us has been selected by Writers & Books for this year's Rochester Reads program. Grande will be in Rochester for a series of events this week, but first, she joins us on Connections. Our guests:

When we talk about DACA, building a wall, and immigration policy, what are we really talking about? Will Wilkinson from the Niskanen Center in Washington has an idea. He says the immigration debate is actually about whether Latinos are considered “real Americans.” He says that liberal pluralists in this country have sort of dithered, while white nationalism is on the move; nativism, as far as the White House, is helping to set policy.

Wilkinson says it’s time for liberal pluralists to get off the sidelines and fight for multiculturalism, to talk about history in more realistic terms, and to fight for better policies. Our panel discusses these issues and immigration policy. Our guests:

Nearly 85,000 refugees were admitted into the United States in fiscal year 2016, and New York was one of three states that helped settle more than a quarter of them.

We're joined by refugees living in Rochester, who share their compelling journeys and discuss the challenges they face. Plus, we talk about how the community can help them settle into their new lives, especially around the holidays. In studio: