The Weeds: Immigration and the minimum wage — with an armed standoff in between

This week on The Weeds, special guest star Dara Lind joins Sarah Kliff and me to teach a clinic on immigration policy. Next we delve into the ongoing standoff in Oregon, where some historical information actually gets me to change my mind. Then we look at a new empirical paper on the minimum wage's role during the Great Recession that offers a window into exactly how hard it is to change minds.

As always, you can subscribe to The Weeds on iTunes, rate us there, and reach out with feedback at weeds@vox.com. Next week, Ezra should be back from his adventures in scenic Las Vegas, so you'll have your regular Weeds cast back.

Show notes:

• How politicians use the vagueness of "amnesty" to their advantage
• Recent demographic trends of the US's unauthorized immigrant population
• What we know about visa overstays
• The problem of "skills mismatch"
• How licensing barriers affect immigrants
• Vox's video on the Oregon takeover
• About the standoffs at Waco and Ruby Ridge
• White paper of the week: "The Minimum Wage and the Great Recession: Evidence from the Current Population Survey"
• Arin Dube's minimum wage research
• David Neumark's minimum wage research

We have a request

Vox's journalism is free because we believe that everyone deserves to understand the world that they live in. That kind of knowledge helps create better citizens, neighbors, friends, parents, consumers and stewards of this planet. In short, understanding benefits everyone. You can join in on this mission by making a financial gift to Vox today. Reader support helps keep our work free, for everyone. Will you join us?

One-Time Monthly Annual

$95/year

$120/year

$250/year

$350/year

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $120/year

Yes, I'll give $120/year

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via