What makes an immigrant “good”? Is it a clean record? A full-time job? English without an accent? A smile that never complains?
In this episode of The Lies We Tell, I take you on a deep, personal, and political dive into one of the most dangerous myths in American life: the myth of the good immigrant.
We’ll trace the origins of this narrative—from Ellis Island to the modern border, from sitcoms to ICE raids—and expose how it's used to divide communities, justify injustice, and punish people just for surviving. I also share my story—how I came here as a kid, changed my name to fit in, served in the Marines, and still got profiled, doubted, and disrespected.
This isn’t just about immigrants. It’s about what happens when a country demands silence instead of justice.
So ask yourself: Could you survive the system you defend?
Because a lot of us already have. Barely.
🎧 Topics include:
The “good immigrant vs. bad immigrant” binary
Hollywood and news media narratives
The racism hiding behind “speak English”
Why respectability is a trap
What the immigration process actually costs
Personal reflection from my time in school, the Marines, and beyond
📌 Available now on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, and wherever you get your truth.
USCIS Fee Schedule (as of 2024): https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-fees
National Immigration Law Center: https://www.nilc.org
American Immigration Council – The U.S. Immigration System Is Complex and Antiquated: https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org
Migration Policy Institute: “U.S. Naturalization Trends” (2023): https://www.migrationpolicy.org
Government Accountability Office – Delays in naturalization processing: https://www.gao.gov
Center for Media and Social Impact – “Race and Immigration in Prime-Time TV”
Media Matters: “Fox News Obsession with Immigrant Crime” (2019)
University of Illinois Study (2019): Disproportionate Crime Coverage of Immigrants in Local News
PBS/FRONTLINE – Lost in Detention
“The Problem of the Good Immigrant” – The Atlantic, by Jia Tolentino
“Model Minority Myth” – Teaching Tolerance/SPLC
Erika Lee, The Making of Asian America
Yalidy Matos, Brown Threat: Identification and the Latino Threat Narrative in News Media
OECD Migration Reports (2023): https://www.oecd.org/migration
Canada’s Language Instruction for Newcomers: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/new-immigrants
Germany’s Integration Course Program: https://www.bamf.de
Australia Citizenship Cost Info (gov.au)
Sweden Migration Agency Fee Chart: https://www.migrationsverket.se
“What It’s Like to Be a Brown Veteran in America” – personal commentary
DACA & TPS summaries – National Immigration Forum: https://immigrationforum.org
Public Charge Rule Overview – Protecting Immigrant Families: https://protectingimmigrantfamilies.org
📚 SOURCES & REFERENCES🔍 Immigration Data & Policy📺 Media Analysis🌍 International Comparisons👁️ Personal Experience & Analysis
