Immigration Ain't Easy

Mo Goldman

Immigration Ain't Easy provides a variety of perspectives and stories on modern-day U.S. immigration. The show will bring some levity to an often somber subject. Shows include: Interviews with people who have attempted, both successfully and unsuccessfully, to navigate a draconian and antiquated system.Interviews with immigration lawyers and other experts.A weekly review of the wild and ridiculous actions taken by the U.S. government.

  1. 09/22/2025

    Immigration Ain't Easy Ep. 43: Attorneys Marc Van Der Hout & Johnny Sinodis

    Send us a text Representing immigrants in their deportation proceedings can be a challenge, but it can be even more formidable when your client is Mahmoud Khalil. Mr. Khalil, a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., was arrested by the Trump administration after being a prominent member of the Israel/Gaza war protests at Columbia University.  He was detained in Louisiana for three months before a federal judge ruled that he must be released to his wife and newborn baby son. Two of the key members of his legal team, Marc Van Der Hout & Johnny Sinodis, join me to discuss his case (note: the interview was recorded prior to last week's decision ordering Mr. Khalil deported to Algeria or Syria). They also talk about their own backgrounds and why they have dedicated their professional careers to helping immigrants. Mr. Van Der Hout, one of the most recognized attorneys in the field, has made a career of fighting for the most marginalized in our society. He is the former national president of the National Lawyers Guild and his high-impact litigation has made an indelible mark on precedent case law. He is based in San Francisco as the founding member of Van Der Hout, LLP. Mr. Sinodis is a partner at Van Der Hout LLP. He has built a reputation as an incredible advocate for human rights as an expert in removal defense, appeals, the immigration consequences of criminal convictions, and federal court litigation. Prior to joining Van Der Hout, he practiced at Salvatierra Law Group in Phoenix, Arizona, where he handled criminal and immigration cases, and regularly represented individuals who were subjected to racially discriminatory policing practices in Maricopa County, Arizona.

    1h 18m
  2. 09/06/2025

    Immigration Ain't Easy Ep. 42: Dr. Michael Lokale

    Send us a text Running brings great health benefits for many, but for Dr. Michael Lokale it brought him opportunity and a chance at the American dream. Dr. Lokale was born and raised in a remote tribal village, Kitale, Kenya to corn farmers. He witnessed many people die of preventable diseases. The lack of medical care motivated him to become a doctor and his intention was to go back to Kenya and help improve the healthcare in his native land, but, like the Boston Marathon, life has many twists and turns. Dr. Lokale knew that he could get a top-notch education in the United States, but getting a scholarship would be a necessity to reach the finish line. His cousin, Paul Ereng, surprised the world in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul when he came out of nowhere to win the gold medal in the 800 meter race. Paul knew how important it was to use your best skills to get your foot in the door as he ran for the University of Virginia and received his bachelors degree. Paul told Dr. Lokale how to apply for an athletic scholarship. He applied and was awarded a four-year scholarship to Virginia Military Institute. Warning: This is only the halfway mark of this marathon of a story. In 2003, with his combination of athletic and academic excellence, Dr. Lokale received the prestigious Rhodes scholarship. At the time, he was only the 10th VMI graduate to ever receive this award. To put it into perspective, the previous VMI awardee was in 1967. His next stop: Oxford University in England where he got to mingle with the Queen of England and Nelson Mandela. Most importantly, he met his future wife Kathy who was also studying there. Dr. Lokale returned to the U.S. after Oxford to attend the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He now resides in Oro Valley, Arizona where he keeps people healthier and happier. On a regular basis, Dr. Lokale returns to Kenya to volunteer at a clinic in the town where he grew up. His career finish line is still far away, but he has already won a gold medal in lifetime accomplishments!

    59 min
  3. 09/01/2025

    Immigration Ain't Easy Ep. 41: Kavan Hazeli, Associate Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Arizona

    Send us a text Kavan Hazeli is an associate professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at the University of Arizona, with a joint appointment in the Biomedical Engineering Department and the College of Optical Sciences. An immigrant from Iran, Hazeli received the 2020 National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award in 2020.  He joins me to talk about his immigrant story and path to running his own research group. He also discusses the impact of government funding cuts, unfair targeting of foreign students and how it has and will impact critical research. Professor Hazeli's research group is active in designing, characterizing, and optimizing multi-functional materials built by additive manufacturing techniques, focusing on materials performance and failure mechanisms under fatigue, impact, and thermomechanical loading.  Hazeli's research group is developing camera-based technology that integrates advanced 3D imaging, AI, and cloud connectivity to assess human movement and biomechanics. This technology quantifies motion and posture metrics allowing the team to investigate joint functionality, range of motion, and overall posture, delivering actionable performance data for orthopedic specialists, sports medicine, and physical therapy professionals. Additionally, by continuously learning from gait and posture patterns, their work aims to predict fall risk in elderly populations, supporting early intervention and personalized care.

    1h 3m
  4. 06/09/2025

    Immigration Ain't Easy Ep. 39: Immigrant and Immigration Attorney Parastoo Zahedi

    Send us a text Parastoo Zahedi knows what it is like to immigrate to the United States. Her own experiences in coming here from Iran has been a key reason why she became an immigration attorney: she wanted to help other attain the American dream and she has done so in many different ways. Since graduating from Georgetown Law School in 1988, Parastoo has become a recognized expert in immigration law and her law practice represents clients in a wide spectrum of matters including: Adjustment of status (green card processing) and naturalization, asylum and refugee status, detention and bond, cancellation of removal, waivers of inadmissibility, immigration consequences of criminal convictions, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) petitions, and federal court litigation. She has also handled business immigration matters in the context of obtaining both nonimmigrant visas(L1A/L1B, H1B/H3, H2B,  O, P, E) as well as immigrant petitions for all employment categories including the Extraordinary Ability category. Parastoo has served as a leader in the American Immigration Lawyers Association community in different capacities and has been awarded for her pro bono work. She has also published numerous articles on a variety of immigration issues and spoken on them as well. In this episode, Parastoo discusses her path to the U.S. and her journey into immigration law and how she manages this practice in the environment we live in today.

    54 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Immigration Ain't Easy provides a variety of perspectives and stories on modern-day U.S. immigration. The show will bring some levity to an often somber subject. Shows include: Interviews with people who have attempted, both successfully and unsuccessfully, to navigate a draconian and antiquated system.Interviews with immigration lawyers and other experts.A weekly review of the wild and ridiculous actions taken by the U.S. government.