It Could Happen Here

Andrew and James discuss settler colonialism across several contexts.
Sources:
Settler Colonialism and the Elimination of the Native by Patrick Wolfe
https://www.britannica.com/place/Liberia/History
Liberia: The Violence of Democracy by Mary H Moran.
The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi
The Question of Palestine by Edward Said
https://rpublc.com/story/2024/02/08/international-affairs/the-false-equivalence-of-liberia-and-israel
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Journalist Carlos Berríos Polanco speaks with James about how the Dominican Republic’s border and immigration enforcement was shaped by the United States.
Sources:
Help Bring Ezra Home and Seek the Truth
(https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-bring-ezra-home-seek-the-truth)
More than a Massacre; Racial Violence and Citizenship in the Haitian-Dominican
Borderlands by Sabine Cadeu
Empire of Borders by Todd Miller
Border Patrol Nation by Todd Miller
From tierra de nadie to terre brulée – From Borderland to Border in Haiti and the Dominican Republic by Sabine Cadeu
(https://www.histecon.magd.cam.ac.uk/barriers/July2022_papers/SabineCadeauPaper.pdf)
Haitians, Magic, and Money: Raza and Society in the Haitian-Dominican Borderlands, 1900 to 1937 by Lauren Derby (https://www.jstor.org/stable/179294)
Making the Dominican Republic Great Again? by Lorgia García-Peña
(https://nacla.org/making-dominican-republic-great-again/)
Marines in the Dominican Republic 1916-1924
(https://www.marines.mil/portals/1/Publications/Marines%20in%20the%20Dominican%20Republic%20PCN%2019000412600_1.pdf)
US warns its ‘darker-skinned’ citizens of Dominican Republic’s migrant crackdown by Richard Luscombe
(https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/22/us-warns-darker-skinned-citizens-crackdown-dominican-republic)
Latinobarómetro 2024 Resultados por sexo y edad Informe de estudio #LAT-2024 v1
(https://www.latinobarometro.org/latinobarometro-2024#LAT-2024-selected-country-header)
Ten Years After a Fateful Court Decision, the Dominican Republic Still Has a Statelessness Problem by Kevin Appleby
(https://cmsny.org/dr-statelessness-problem-appleby-102323/)
Addressing the Next Displacement Crisis in the Making in the Americas by Valerie Lacarte (https://www.migrationpolicy.org/news/haiti-next-displacement-crisis-americas)
‘They grabbed us like dogs’: deportation quotas tear Haitian migrants’ lives apart by Shandra Back
(https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/sep/07/they-grabbed-us-like-dogs-deportation-quotas-tear-haitian-migrants-lives-apart)
Federal Agents Investigate Sugar Exporter Over Allegations of Forced Labor
(https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/10/central-romana-homeland-security-sugar/)
“They Just Came and Started Breaking Houses”
(https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/12/central-romana-sugar-hoyo-de-puerco-demolished/)
Despite US Import Ban, Sugar Cane Cutters Still Face Abuse in Dominican Republic
(https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/despite-us-import-ban-sugar-cane-cutters-still-face-abuse-in-dominican-republic/)
10 years fighting for nationality in the Dominican Republic
(https://www.institutesi.org/news/10-year-anniversary-of-dr-court-ruling-stripping-nationality)
LEA Training Schedule 2024
(https://sansalvador.ilea.state.gov/training-schedule?c=fr-FR)
International students graduate from elite federal law enforcement program
(https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/international-students-graduate-elite-federal-law-enforcement-program)
Dominican Republic students graduate from elite US law enforcement program
(https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/dominican-republic-students-graduate-elite-us-law-enforcement-program)
El misterio de Ellen Frances Hulett | El Informe con Alicia Ortega
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKIg2np081M)
How Far Will the Dominican Republic Go in Deporting Haitians? by Marius Loiseau
(https://inkstickmedia.com/how-far-will-the-dominican-republic-go-in-deporting-haitians/)
Fearing Deportation, Mothers Give Birth in Shadows by Hogla Enecia Pérez and Luis Ferré-Sadurní
(https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/26/world/americas/dominican-republic-haiti-hospital-deportations.html)
Dominican Republic and Haiti at the Crossroads of the Massacre River by Simón Rodríguez (https://nacla.org/dominican-republic-and-haiti-crossroads-massacre-river/)
US team reveals weaknesses at the Dominican-Haiti border
(https://web.archive.org/web/20110526044642/https://dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2006/8/7/16173/US-team-reveals-weaknesses-at-the-Dominican-Haiti-border)
Dominican Republic begins building border wall with Haiti
(https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/dominican-republic-begins-building-border-wall-with-haiti-2022-02-20/)
A 101-Mile Wall Goes Up to Block Haitians Pouring Over Border by Danielle Balbi
(https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2022-09-28/big-take-why-the-dominican-republic-is-building-a-border-wall-between-haiti?embedded-checkout=true#xj4y7vzkg)
“A Veil of Legality” by Amelia Hintzen
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/org/science/article/pii/S1382237316000234)
Dominican border wall threatens environment, mangroves by Esteban ROJAS
(https://phys.org/news/2023-03-dominican-border-wall-threatens-environment.html)
Dominican Republic deports pregnant women in ‘inhumane’ migrant crackdown
(https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/apr/29/pregnant-women-deported-dominican-republic-migration-crackdown-haiti)
La muerte de Ellen Frances Hulett se debió a infartos agudos al miocardio, confirma autopsia
(https://noticiassin.com/la-muerte-de-ellen-frances-hulett-se-debio-a-infartos-agudos-al-miocardio-confirma-autopsia/)
La muerte de la estadounidense Ellen Hulett: una cadena de preguntas sin respuestas by Ana A, Elina M (https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/sucesos/2025/07/03/muerte-de-ellen-hulett-una-cadena-de-preguntas-sin-respuestas/3170413)
Alert: Ongoing Dominican Migration Enforcement
(https://do.usembassy.gov/alert-ongoing-dominican-migration-enforcement/)
87 Aniversario de la Dirección General de Migración
(https://migracion.gob.do/87-aniversario-de-la-direccion-general-de-migracion/)
Haitians displaced by violence face deportation after fleeing to Dominican Republic
(https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/haitians-displaced-by-violence-face-deportation-after-fleeing-to-dominican-republic)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, In The Belly is doing a take over to feature the poems of incarcerated writers in their own voices
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file.
- Bovino’s Visit to Europe
- Idealogical Totalism with Andrew
- The Globalization of Resistance with Andrew
- The Arab Gulf States in the Line of Fire
- Executive Disorder: Pogrom in Belfast, Trans Healthcare, Denaturalization Cases
You can now listen to all Cool Zone Media shows, 100% ad-free through the Cooler Zone Media subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. So, open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “Cooler Zone Media” and subscribe today!
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Sources/Links:
Bovino’s Visit to Europe
https://remigrationsummit.com/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/16/christchurch-shooters-links-to-austrian-far-right-more-extensive-than-thought
https://www.breizh-info.com/2026/05/28/260619/gregory-bovino-lhomme-qui-a-pilote-les-operations-trump-contre-limmigration-illegale-parle-a-leurope-interview/
http://www.toddmillerwriter.com/border-patrol-nation/
https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/08/RE_2025.08.21_Unauthorized-Immigrants_REPORT.pdf
https://www.cbp.gov/about
https://www.startribune.com/fact-check-federal-officials-claims-about-fatal-minneapolis-shooting/601570444
https://youtu.be/OYIK2-pO_7Y
The Arab Gulf States in the Line of Fire
Andrew Leber’s profile and articles - https://carnegieendowment.org/people/andrew-leber
How Palestine is linked to domestic grievances - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13510347.2022.2038567
Executive Disorder: Pogrom in Belfast, Trans Healthcare, Denaturalization Cases
https://www.independent.com/2026/06/04/new-details-emerge-about-leadup-to-largest-fire-in-channel-islands-history/
https://austinkocher.substack.com/p/ice-reports-19th-death-of-2026-georgian

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.293201/gov.uscourts.mad.293201.106.0.pdf

https://x.com/JacobEngels/status/2062157399255847030?s=20
https://wcca.wicourts.gov/caseDetail.html?caseNo=2026CF000289&countyNo=55&index=0&mode=details
https://www.whois.com/whois/bovino2028.com
https://x.com/CBSNews/status/2064422223541154065?s=20

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2/text
https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/whats-in-the-secure-america-act/

https://www.mediamatters.org/donald-trump/compromised-votes-still-being-counted-right-wing-media-promote-election-misinformation
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116690027934241490

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28199744-dorcasopn060526/
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-moves-strip-us-citizenship-17-naturalized-sex-offenders-fraudsters-drug
https://files.gao.gov/reports/GAO-26-108886/index.html
https://media.cadc.uscourts.gov/opinions/docs/2026/06/25-5087-2176040.pdf

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-secures-landmark-resolution-end-pediatric-gender-affirming-care-and

https://www.acluok.org/news/senate-bill-904-faq/

https://www.aclu.org/qa-coe-et-al-v-blanche

https://gothamist.com/news/nyc-parents-say-mount-sinai-plans-to-share-trans-childrens-records-with-trump-administration

https://gothamist.com/news/mamdani-admin-weighs-how-to-provide-care-for-nyc-trans-kids-amid-trump-backlash
https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/06/transcript--mayor-mamdani-appears-on-wnyc-s-the-brian-lehrer-sho

https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/metropolitan/services/lgbtq-health-center/
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/14/us/julio-sosa-celis-ice-minneapolis-shooting.html
https://www.hennepinattorney.org/news/news/2026/May/castro-arrested
https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2064457103134343170?s=20
https://x.com/BarakRavid/status/2064393192162660733?s=20
https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2064290478091067601?s=20
https://t.co/lY0s8D3jZy
https://x.com/DanLamothe/status/2064336646376505687?s=20
https://x.com/Reuters/status/2064794729477447978?s=20
https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/09/europe/northern-ireland-knife-attack-belfast-intl
https://bsky.app/profile/enddbelfast.bsky.social/post/3mnxbrtzgsk2y
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The gang discuss election fraud claims in California, a pogrom targeting immigrants in Northern Ireland, DOJ investigations into healthcare for trans youth, new denaturalization cases against 17 people, and Greg Bovino’s potential 2028 presidential run.

NOTE: Regrettably this episode contained factual errors and omissions: Rwanda was colonized by Germany and Belgium, not Great Britain. The pogroms we mentioned occurred in Northern Ireland, not the Republic of Ireland.
Sources:
https://www.independent.com/2026/06/04/new-details-emerge-about-leadup-to-largest-fire-in-channel-islands-history/
https://austinkocher.substack.com/p/ice-reports-19th-death-of-2026-georgian

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.293201/gov.uscourts.mad.293201.106.0.pdf

https://x.com/JacobEngels/status/2062157399255847030?s=20
https://wcca.wicourts.gov/caseDetail.html?caseNo=2026CF000289&countyNo=55&index=0&mode=details
https://www.whois.com/whois/bovino2028.com
https://x.com/CBSNews/status/2064422223541154065?s=20

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2/text
https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/whats-in-the-secure-america-act/

https://www.mediamatters.org/donald-trump/compromised-votes-still-being-counted-right-wing-media-promote-election-misinformation
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116690027934241490

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28199744-dorcasopn060526/
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-moves-strip-us-citizenship-17-naturalized-sex-offenders-fraudsters-drug
https://files.gao.gov/reports/GAO-26-108886/index.html
https://media.cadc.uscourts.gov/opinions/docs/2026/06/25-5087-2176040.pdf

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-secures-landmark-resolution-end-pediatric-gender-affirming-care-and

https://www.acluok.org/news/senate-bill-904-faq/

https://www.aclu.org/qa-coe-et-al-v-blanche

https://gothamist.com/news/nyc-parents-say-mount-sinai-plans-to-share-trans-childrens-records-with-trump-administration

https://gothamist.com/news/mamdani-admin-weighs-how-to-provide-care-for-nyc-trans-kids-amid-trump-backlash
https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/06/transcript--mayor-mamdani-appears-on-wnyc-s-the-brian-lehrer-sho

https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/metropolitan/services/lgbtq-health-center/
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/14/us/julio-sosa-celis-ice-minneapolis-shooting.html
https://www.hennepinattorney.org/news/news/2026/May/castro-arrested
https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2064457103134343170?s=20
https://x.com/BarakRavid/status/2064393192162660733?s=20
https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2064290478091067601?s=20
https://t.co/lY0s8D3jZy
https://x.com/DanLamothe/status/2064336646376505687?s=20
https://x.com/Reuters/status/2064794729477447978?s=20
https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/09/europe/northern-ireland-knife-attack-belfast-intl
https://bsky.app/profile/enddbelfast.bsky.social/post/3mnxbrtzgsk2y
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.