It Could Happen Here

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.

Dana El Kurd speaks to Andrew Leber, assistant professor of political science and Middle East and North Africa politics, with an expertise in Saudi Arabia and the Arab Gulf states. Andrew outlines the different positions of the Gulf states in response to the ongoing war on Iran, the competing visions for the region posed by the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and the role of Israel in their calculations.
Sources:
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
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.