Why the Border Debate Gets Migration All Wrong

Why the Border Debate Gets Migration All Wrong17 aug24 min

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While <a href="https://www.deseret.com/u-s-world/2026/05/27/brookings-report-family-separations-ice-immigrant-detention/">ICE detentions</a> hit <a href="https://www.deseret.com/politics/2026/07/22/ice-detention-centers-reach-record-bookings-in-june-for-trump-immigration-crackdown/">record highs</a> and deportation flights resume across the U.S., the woman running the U.N.'s global migration agency says almost everyone is having the wrong conversation. In this rare sit-down, <a href="https://www.iom.int/">IOM</a> Director General <a href="https://www.iom.int/biography-iom-director-general">Amy Pope</a> explains why border enforcement alone can't stop migration — and reveals the surprising playbook already working in Brazil and Italy.

On this episode of "<a href="https://pages.deseret.com/podcasts/deseret-voices">Deseret Voices</a>," Pope, the first woman to lead the <a href="https://www.iom.int/">International Organization for Migration</a>, sits down with Deseret News Executive Editor Doug Wilks to talk about the real drivers of global migration, from conflict and climate change to economic opportunity.

Pope, a former human trafficking prosecutor who worked inside U.S. Homeland Security under two administrations, breaks down how Brazil and Italy are turning migrant labor into an economic win instead of a border crisis. She also opens up about the human cost of trafficking, her visit to a humanitarian center run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the story of a young man rescued crossing the Mediterranean who now works to save other migrants and how her own faith shapes her belief in human dignity — even amid what she calls the biggest displacement crisis in the world right now.

“<a href="https://pages.deseret.com/podcasts/deseret-voices">Deseret Voices</a>” is hosted by award-winning journalists <a href="https://www.deseret.com/authors/mckay-coppins/">McKay Coppins</a> and <a href="https://www.deseret.com/authors/jane-clayson-johnson/">Jane Clayson Johnson</a>, who go beyond the headlines to explore the stories, people, and ideas shaping our world today. Through thoughtful, in-depth conversations, the “Deseret Voices” podcast brings clarity and common ground to the complex issues defining our time.

“Deseret Voices” is a <a href="https://www.deseret.com/">Deseret News</a> podcast, produced by Keira Farrimond, Creative Director - Video & Podcasts.

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