Borderland: Narcosis with Vincent 'Rocco' Vargas

A 4-PART BORDERLAND SPECIAL SERIES: EPISODE 2: THE CULT OF SANTA MUERTE On the southern border, there is a legal concept known as “reasonable fear.” If an asylum officer determines that a migrant has a “reasonable fear of persecution or torture” if returned to their home country, then removal procedures can be delayed. And, in the current border crisis, there’s been no greater source of “reasonabl...

A 4-PART BORDERLAND SPECIAL SERIES: REASONABLE FEAR EPISODE 1: MISSING AND MURDERED WOMEN AND GIRLS OF JUAREZ On the southern border, there is a legal concept known as “reasonable fear.” If an asylum officer determines that a migrant has a “reasonable fear of persecution or torture” if returned to their home country, then removal procedures can be delayed. And, in the current border crisis, there’...

Catch Borderland: REASONABLE FEAR, a 4-part docuseries starting on September 24th. REASONABLE FEAR S.E.C. KIT available for Pre-order at https://thisisironclad.com/products/sec?=BL916YT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Borderland, Vince sits down with former DEA Chief of Operations, Ray Donovan, to break down the connection between China and Mexico in the fentanyl trade. They talk about how Chinese suppliers are fueling Mexican cartels with the chemicals needed to make fentanyl, and the challenges that come with taking on this deadly international pipeline. Catch Borderland: REASONABLE FEAR, a...

Today on Borderland, Vince sits down with New York Post reporter, Jennie Taer. For most of her career, Jennie has been reporting on activities at the Southern border. More recently, she has been covering the surge in illegal Venezuelan migration, including the growing presence of individuals linked to the Tren de Aragua gang -- a gang that has caused a surge in violence acts against American law e...

Today on Borderland, Vince sits down with former CIA Intelligence Officer, Andrew Bustamante. Andrew is known for his expertise in espionage, international relations, and leadership. He is founder of Everyday Spy, a platform that teaches the application of spy tactics in everyday life to improve decision-making, personal security, and strategic thinking. He is also the host of the Everyday Spy pod...

Today on Borderland, Vince sits down with former Mexican law enforcement officer and security consultant, Ed Calderon. Born in Tijuana, Ed spent years in law enforcement with an operations group specializing in counternarcotics, anti-abduction, and high-risk close protection for high-profile individuals. He has consulted and trained federal law enforcement agencies including the FBI, BORTAC, Indon...

Today on Borderland, Vince sits down with award-winning journalist Lydia Cacho. Amnesty International call her "perhaps Mexico's most famous investigative journalist and women's rights advocate” for her work exposing violence in the Mexican underworld. Her books include The Demons of Eden: The Power that Protects Child P****graphy, Slavery Inc: The Untold Story of International Sex Trafficking, an...

Today on Borderland, Vince talks to retired Border Patrol Chief, Victor Manjarrez. Victor served more than 20 years in the Border Patrol in roles both in the field and in headquarters, His border security methods are still considered cornerstones for the border patrol. On this episode, Victor sheds light on the challenges faced by Border Patrol agents by touching on common misconceptions about the...

Today on Borderland, Vince sits down with the marshal of the historic town of Tombstone, Arizona, Jim Adams. Together, they discuss the harsh realities and impacts that the smuggling crisis has had on this town just 30 miles from the Mexican border. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode of Borderland, Vince talks to Chris Dalby, a journalist and expert on the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Chris dives deep into the CJNG's nuanced media tactics and how they use it to spread misinformation about their operations within Mexico and the United States. Chris Dalby is the author of CJNG: A Quick Guide to Mexico's Deadliest Cartel and currently the director of the Worl...

Today on Borderland, Vince talks to San Diego native Cory Gautereaux. Cory shares his experiences walking along the San Diego Southern border, where he has collected hundreds of abandoned IDs left behind by migrants crossing the border. More recently, he made the startling discovery of an abandoned iPhone, which he was able to unlock, revealing a trove of conversations between smugglers and migran...

In the days following the recent presidential debate, Borderland host and BORSTAR veteran Vince Vargas broke down both candidates’ positions and statements about the immigration crisis. Here’s his thoughts on the statements made both by Biden and Trump. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Today's Borderland, Vince sits down with investigative journalist Madeleine Rowley to discuss her recent article Nonprofits Are Making Billions off the Border Crisis . She exposes the billions of dollars NGOs are being granted from the Federal government due to the record-setting influx of immigrants into America. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap...

Today's guest is Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera. She's a Professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University, and formally established the Counter Narco-Terrorism Operations Center (CNTOC) in January 2007. She's also the author of Los Zetas Inc.: Criminal Corporations, Energy, and Civil War in Mexico. Sponsors: This 4th of July, make Horizon part of your celebration. Don’t mi...

Today on Borderland, Vince is joined by former border patrol agent and ICE Director, Tom Homan. Tom joined the Immigration and Naturalization Service in 1984, later becoming a Border Patrol agent. He was then appointed by President Obama as Executive Associate Director of ICE in 2011. He received the Presidential Rank Award as a Distinguished Executive in 2015. Finally, in 2017, he was appointed a...

On today's Borderland, Vince talks to renowned journalist, Luis Chaparro. Luis is based on the U.S./Mexico border, and has over 15 years of experience in reporting on Mexican organized crime. He has extensively covered drug cartels, detailing their operations, leadership, and societal impact. He has interviewed fentanyl dealers and human smugglers, and his reporting also highlights the hardships f...

Today on Borderland, Vince discusses the terrorist threats at the Southern border with former CIA Intelligence Analyst and Targeter, Sarah Adams. From 2015-2017, Sarah served as the Senior Advisor to the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Benghazi. She also served overseas on behalf of the U.S. Government’s intelligence mission in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asi...

On today's episode, Vince continues to dive deeper into the cases of deported veterans with guests Alex Murillo and Livier "Livvy" Lazaro. Alex Murillo, a Navy veteran and son of Mexican immigrants, was brought to the U.S. as a toddler and served two tours in Iraq as a jet mechanic. After returning home in 2000, he struggled with PTSD and civilian life, leading to a 2009 conviction for marijuana p...

Today’s guests is Danitza “Dee” James.   She was born in Sonora, Mexico, and moved to US at 15. She is a combat veteran, having served in Iraq on two combat tours. Today, she serves as Chief Executive Officer at Repatriate Our Patriots (ROP) a non-profit organization dedicated to aiding in the repatriation of deported veterans and preventing future deportations. You can learn more at https://www.r...

On today's episode, Vince talks to retired DEA agent, Derek Maltz about the realities of the fentanyl epidemic in the United States. Derek was also the Special Agent in Charge of the DOJ, Special Operations Division (SOD) for almost 10 years before he left the federal government, and previously held the position as the Chief of the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force, the oldest and largest drug...

Today on Borderland, Vince talks with former Game Warden John Nores about how Mexican drug cartels operate in America's forests and public lands. John served as a Game Warden for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for more than 25 years. He helped develop and lead the Marijuana Enforcement Team (MET), an elite tactical unit targeting cartel drug operations on California’s public lands...

Today on Borderland, Vince sits down with the 24th Sheriff of Pinal County in Arizona, Mark Lamb.  He is also a candidate for the United States Senate. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today Vince takes a deep dive into the fast and furious gun-running scandal with guest Pete Forcelli. He is widely known as a whistleblower for the Operation Fast and Furious scandal and wrote the book The Deadly Path: How Operation Fast & Furious and Bad Lawyers Armed Mexican Cartels Pete served for 15 years with the N.Y.P.D prior to joining the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Toba...

Today's guest is Matthew Thomas, Chief Deputy of the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona. Throughout his career, he has served in several specialty units—Detention, Patrol, Traffic, Training, the Police Academy, Motors, Narcotics, and Investigations. He is also the author of the book Interceptors: The Untold Fight Against the Mexican Cartels. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original. Learn more abo...