What the System Asks: Immigration 101 with Clare Murphy-Shaw

We hear about "fixing the immigration system" all the time — but what does that system actually look like from the inside? This season, From Home to Here is going deeper: asking bigger questions, challenging assumptions, and starting with the foundation.

In our season premiere, host sits down with Clare Murphy Shaw, Executive Director of Asylum Clinic KC, to break down how U.S. immigration law actually works — from what happens the moment someone arrives at the border seeking asylum, to what it means for a child to face removal proceedings alone, without a lawyer.

Clare has spent her career in courtrooms, consultations, and emergency filings representing unaccompanied minors, asylum seekers, and families facing deportation. She doesn't speak from theory — she speaks from the front lines.

This episode covers:

• The real difference between asylum, refugee status, and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status
• What the system asks of immigrants — and how high the bar really is
• How trauma intersects with credibility in children's cases
• How politics shapes the lives of real families every four years
• The moral question at the heart of this season: What does America ask of immigrants in 2026 — and what does it owe them?

Produced by Eye of an Immigrant, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, in collaboration with FiredUp Studios.