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Pacific




  In collaboration with KALW, Radio Pacific is a new radio show about contemporary California. The hour-long program features journalists, writers, and documentarians who are grappling with life in the country’s most populous and diverse state.








EPISODES

Episode 1 May 2025

Rapid Response Hotline


President Trump returned to power on the promise to “carry out the largest deportation operation in American history.” The campaign has already deported thousands, sent waves of terror throughout immigrant communities, and even pushed the country to the brink of a constitutional crisis.

In our first episode, California legal scholar Kevin R. Johnson puts the first months of Trump’s administration in perspective and helps us understand California’s unique role, both good and bad, in the country’s immigration history.

While nobody can stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from carrying out these raids, there are ways to resist. For our first episode, we peel the curtain back on one of these methods: “Rapid Response Hotlines.” 

These volunteer-run, 24/7 lines allow communities to keep tabs on ICE activity in their neighborhoods. If they try to detain someone, the hotline can dispatch immediate legal assistance.

To understand how they work, we sit down with filmmaker Paloma Martinez, whose beautiful short documentary “Enforcement Hours” follows the San Francisco Rapid Response Hotline during President Trump’s first term. 

We then speak with Finn Palamaro, a staff member at Mission Action and the lead organizer on the Rapid Response Hotline today.
Featured Work
Enforcement Hours
Guests
Kevin R. Johnson
Paloma Martinez
Finn Palamaro

 Host
Eli Cohen

Producer
Eli Cohen

Editor
Ben Trefny

Composer / Engineer
Kirk Pearson

Sound Designer
Dogbotic

Photo
Paloma Martinez, Enforcement Hours


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