Firewall for Freedom Podcast

In this episode, we examine a critical moment for immigrant communities in Delaware as federal immigration enforcement escalates its use of data sharing, local law enforcement cooperation, and intimidation tactics. From ICE involvement without clear judicial warrants to the federal government’s attempt to force Delaware to hand over sensitive voter data, the risks to privacy, safety, and civil liberties are growing. Along with Maria Matos, Executive Director of Latin American Community Center (LACC), and Bryant Garcia, Executive Director of La Esperanza, We break down recent developments, including a federal lawsuit seeking access to Delawareans’ personal voter information, troubling instances of local police sharing information about immigrant residents, and the urgent push for legislation like House Bill 94 to protect sensitive locations such as schools, churches, and medical facilities.We also discuss why closing backdoor channels of cooperation with ICE is essential, and how Governor Meyer, the Attorney General, and the General Assembly have both the authority and responsibility to act.Most importantly, this episode centers the real-world impact of these policies on immigrant families in Delaware, parents afraid to send their children to school, workers fearful of routine encounters with law enforcement, and communities facing heightened surveillance.We explore what meaningful protection looks like, why data privacy and due process matter for everyone, and how collective action can ensure Delaware remains a place where all people can live without fear. Key Topics:The federal government’s attempt to access Delaware voters’ sensitive personal dataHow data sharing and ICE cooperation threaten immigrant communitiesRecent incidents involving local law enforcement and immigration enforcementThe role of state leadership in closing backdoor channels to ICE House Bill 94 and other legislative efforts to protect sensitive locations and prevent profilingWhy privacy, due process, and constitutional rights apply to everyone What solidarity and accountability look like in this moment

Resistance takes many forms, but one of the most powerful has always been refusal, refusal to accept unjust laws, refusal to be silenced, refusal to cooperate with government overreach. In our inaugural episode, we explore one of the oldest and most powerful tools in the fight for civil liberties: refusal.We trace the ACLU’s roots back to the 1925 Scopes “Monkey” Trial, where attorney Arthur Garfield Hays defended the right to teach evolution in Tennessee, a landmark stand for thinking freely in America. Nearly a century later, that same spirit shapes today’s battles over bodily autonomy, protest rights, and immigration protections.We speak with Hays’ grandson, attorney Hayes Butler, about the generational legacy of legal defiance, and hear from ACLU of Delaware Executive Director Mike Brickner on how refusal guides our modern strategy to protect democracy.Together, we unpack how state leaders can use their legal authority to resist federal overreach, and why Delaware is positioned to lead the nation in saying no to injustice.Because building a firewall for freedom begins with one act: refusing to cooperate with harm.