A World Still Yearning to Be Free

Part one of a two-part conversation with Ben Johnson about our broken immigration system, how to fix it, and why so many still flee to the U.S. "seeking hope and opportunity."

The U.S.-Mexico border wall south of Ocotillo, Calif. (iStock, Samuel Howell).

By Michael Judge

There’s an old saying that “Good stories follow good journalists.” That may be so. But it’s missing a larger truth: Good journalists hold on to good sources. Ben Johnson is a good source. Actually, when it comes to understanding our nation’s long and tortured relationship with immigrants and refugees, Ben Johnson is a great source. I first reached out to Ben, the executive director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association since 2016, while writing about the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” policies of turning back asylum seekers at the border and separating migrant children from their parents. “These families are not evading Border Patrol,” Ben explained. “On the contrary, they’re seeking them out after a long and dangerous journey and requesting asylum. Like previous generations of immigrants, they’re coming here seeking hope and opportunity.” Since then, I’ve returned to Ben …