Runaway Country with Alex Wagner ICE Goons at the Airport and DACA Detentions (w/ Jonathan V. Last)
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Mar 26, 2026 
Jonathan V. Last, political analyst at The Bulwark, offers perspective on immigration policy and bureaucratic tactics. Stephanie Villarreal, immigrant rights advocate, shares her husband’s DACA detention and family impact. They discuss ICE at airports, hidden administrative maneuvers that change legal status, the politics around DHS funding, and how public outrage might—or might not—drive lasting reform.
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DACA Recipient Detained While Delivering Breast Milk
- Stephanie Villarreal describes how ICE detained her husband Juan while he was delivering breast milk to their newborn in the NICU on February 18th.
- Juan was an active DACA recipient whose renewal filed in November expired while detained, leaving him at risk of deportation despite no criminal history.
Family Life Interrupted By Old Deportation Order
- Stephanie recounts her husband's background: brought from Colombia at age eight, earned two bachelor's degrees, and had a prior 2004 deportation order that they've tried to reopen.
- Their attorney immediately filed to reopen the order after detention, while the family struggles with children, a new home, and NICU care.
Airport Lines Drive Political Pressure More Than ICE Abuses
- Jonathan V. Last and Alex Wagner argue airport delays are politically more powerful than moral outrage over ICE abuses.
- They note public anger at long TSA lines has stronger short-term leverage in congressional negotiations than revelations about ICE brutality.