Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts · Slate Podcasts

Immigration Myths and Birthright Citizenship

March 14, 2026·51 min·5 clips

Anna Ola reveals how enslaved Black women's children faced lifetime enslavement, unlike indentured servants' offspring.

Dahlia Lithwick interviews scholar Anna Ola about her book on migration and citizenship, debunking myths of open borders in American history and examining the 14th Amendment's birthright citizenship clause ahead of a Supreme Court case. They explore colonial migration policies, indentured servitude, slavery, Native American sovereignty, and the Chinese Exclusion Act to clarify constitutional and historical truths.

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts