Congresswoman Jacobs Lays Out Plan Against Trump

2 Jul 2025 · 21 min · 11 chapters

Ask about this episode

Ask anything about it. ChatGPT or Claude reads this page and answers with the times it was said.

Connect VO and ask about every podcast you hear, including the moments you saved. Add to ChatGPT · Add to Claude

In short

Democratic Congresswoman Sarah Jacobs discusses ICE enforcement tactics in San Diego (including alleged warrantless arrests and militarized raids), argues they’re meant to terrify communities and drive self-deportation, and links immigration enforcement to broader policy impacts—especially a Senate budget/healthcare bill that would cut Medicaid and worsen food insecurity. She also highlights under-discussed issues: child care deserts and the Sudan conflict.

Guests

Congresswoman Sarah Jacobs, Democratic U.S. Representative for parts of San Diego/Eastern San Diego and surrounding areas; previously focused on immigration enforcement abuses in her border community.

Key claims

ICE is arresting wrong people, using intimidation (plainclothes officers, arrests around courthouses), and not improving safety; the healthcare cuts will harm real constituents and add to deficits.

Notable examples

Pasadena mother Rosalina Luna Vargas arrested without a warrant; San Diego Buena Forchetta incident with tactical gear and arrests of people without prior criminal history; stories of constituents relying on Medicaid (e.g., 5-year-old Delilah, 2-year-old Cesar).

Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.

Chapters

Tap a time to open that second in VO

ICE Raids and Community Impact

1:00 to 1:23

Discussion on ICE's actions and effects on local families.

“An insurance provider with a conscience.”

ICE Raids and Community Impact

2:29 to 3:21

Discussion on ICE's actions and effects on local families.

“All hell continues to break loose in the streets across the country as un as masked ice agents and what I consider to be Trump Gestapo are everywhere.”

Escalating Tactics of ICE

3:21 to 3:58

Describing a chilling ICE incident involving a local mother.

“You know, just to give you some context of their ice arrested a Pasadena mother without a warrant.”

Trump's Cruel Policies

3:58 to 5:24

Analysis of Trump's policies impacting immigrants and communities.

“A witness said, I didn't know if I was witnessing a hate crime or a kidnapping.”

Interview with Congresswoman Sarah Jacobs

5:24 to 7:48

Congresswoman Jacobs discusses immigration issues in her district.

“And now we know that Donald Trump is going to Florida, where he's going to a place they're calling in Florida, Alligator Alcatraz, which was this old airstrip in the Everglades.”

Community Response to Immigration Crackdown

7:48 to 10:40

Jacobs describes the community's response and the impact of fear.

“And while they're there, you have ICE agents either waiting in the halls to arrest them or waiting in the bushes outside when they leave the court.”

Consequences of the Budget Bill

10:40 to 13:13

Jacobs outlines the budget bill's negative effects on healthcare.

“Also, what's not making us safer, in my view, is this disastrous budget bill.”

Generational Effects of Policy Changes

13:13 to 14:00

Discussing how policies affect young people's future opportunities.

“and at a time when we already have a super high debt.”

The Impact of Policy on Younger Generations

14:00 to 17:00

Discussing the detrimental effects of current policies on younger generations and future prospects.

“It just seems like one of the things that Donald Trump claimed that he was going to do is make things more affordable for younger people.”

Highlighting Underreported Issues

17:00 to 19:11

Congresswoman Jacobs discusses important but overlooked issues like childcare and the Sudan conflict.

“Look, I know that probably our generations know a lot about how difficult the child care crisis is right now.”
Show all 11 chapters

Highlighting Underreported Issues

20:06 to 20:59

Congresswoman Jacobs discusses important but overlooked issues like childcare and the Sudan conflict.

“Starting a business can seem like a daunting task, unless you have a partner like Shopify.”
Hear the part that matters, and keep it.Open this episode in VO. Double tap your headphones to save a moment as you listen.
Get VO free

Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

0:00Shaq here.

0:00Ben Meiselas:What's it like to buy a car from Carvana 100 % online and get it delivered to your door? Let me tell you. Your car is here, Mr. Shaq. Thank you, Mr. Carvana guy. Can't wait to take it for a spin. Only the best for you, Mr. Shaq. Hey, have you always been so big, tall, and handsome? Not always. I was 6 '10 once. Seven days to love it or return it, Mr. Shaq. Not that I would. You never do. No, I never do. So buy your car today on Carvana. Delivery fees may apply. See our seven-day return policy at caravana.com. Starting a business can seem like a daunting task, unless you have a partner like Shopify.

0:35Ben Meiselas:They have the tools you need to start and grow your business. From designing a website, to marketing, to selling, and beyond, Shopify can help with everything you need. There's a reason millions of companies like Mattel, Heinz, and Allbirds continue to trust and use them. With Shopify on your side, turn your big business idea into... Sign up for your$1 per month trial at shopify.com slash special offer. When it comes to my policy, Farmers gives it to me straight, so there's no surprises. It's your coverage. You should never be confused. You hear that? An insurance provider with a conscience. We're a choir, but yes, we have that too.

1:15Ben Meiselas:Straightforward coverage you can literally understand. That's what you get when... You have farmers. Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum. Learn more at Farmers.com. Underwritten by Farmers Truck or Fire Insurance Exchanges or Affiliate. Products not available in every state. Summer's full of reasons to look your best. Tecovis has everything you need to show up in style. Their Western boots are handcrafted in over 200 steps by hand with premium cowhide and exotic leathers. Stop by your local Tecovis store for the full experience. Free drinks, boot shines, and complimentary boot branding to make your pair truly yours.

1:49Ben Meiselas:Their team is there to help you find exactly what fits your summer. And of course, you can always stop by tecovis.com. Tecovis. Forever West. I'm Hannah. I've lost 75 pounds in 20 months with GLP-1s, plus diet and exercise. On Rowe, I've gone from struggling to run a mile to running farther every day. You can access FDA-approved GLP-1s online. Get the support you need to reach your weight loss goals. Go to row.co.weight to see if you qualify. I'm a paid Roe partner, 20 percent average weight loss in one year and non-diabetics with obesity or overweight with a weight related medical condition versus 3.1 percent in placebo arm.

2:25Rx only. To stay informed about serious side effects, go to Roe dot co slash safety.

2:29Ben Meiselas:All hell continues to break loose in the streets across the country as un as masked ice agents and what I consider to be Trump Gestapo are everywhere. They're oftentimes now arresting like the wrong people. This hit me locally here. As many of you may know, I live in Pasadena, California, and very recently ICE arrested a Pasadena mother in front of her children without a warrant. And the children were saying, what are you doing? Like, this is it can't be my mom. Who are you even looking for? And, you know, these agents refuse to identify themselves or who they are. And it turns out, you know, it was the wrong person.

3:13Ben Meiselas:Let me just show you what went down because I've been showing you video clips like this across the country. It's just a terrible thing to see that this is happening in the United States of America. You play this clip.

3:47Ben Meiselas:You know, just to give you some context of their ice arrested a Pasadena mother without a warrant. Wrong person. Two of the three agents even had a badge. None were in uniform, as you saw there. A witness said, I didn't know if I was witnessing a hate crime or a kidnapping. The video cuts off just as daughter begs, call the police. And because they might have been law enforcement, I wasn't even sure whether to call the police or what to do with these people. Jillian Reed did end up calling 911, reporting what she thought was a kidnapping of her mom. Rosalina Luna Vargas was eventually taken into custody despite her two children's best efforts.

4:23Ben Meiselas:After inflicting all of that trauma, Isolator admitted they arrested the wrong person by mistake in the first place, told the family they had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. We're hearing this all too often. And, you know, I think about what went down in San Diego as well at the Buona Forchetta restaurant. I mean, hardworking people in the restaurant there. And, you know, I have video here. You all may remember this of ice just like turning a peaceful, vibrant area, you know, into like what looked like a war zone. Here, let me show you this. This was in San Diego where Ice Storm, Bona Forqueta, and Military Gear.

5:05Ben Meiselas:You'll see all the people out on the street. Here, let's play it.

5:24Ben Meiselas:And now we know that Donald Trump is going to Florida, where he's going to a place they're calling in Florida, Alligator Alcatraz, which was this old airstrip in the Everglades. and there are alligators there. So if you leave the facility, you can get killed and eaten by alligators. And they're all bragging about, you know, how migrants can die if they dare walk off the area and be eaten by alligators. I mean, this is some disgusting stuff right here. I want to bring in Democratic Congresswoman Sarah Jacobs, who represents portions of San Diego, Eastern San Diego and some of the surrounding areas.

6:01Ben Meiselas:And Congresswoman, I know you were very outspoken about the incidents in San Diego, of course. is cruelty. What are we witnessing? How is this America? Look, I think they are trying to terrify people, right? They are trying to get people to be too afraid to come here and to literally get them to self-deport and to get people who are even legally here or maybe even citizens, but look like they might be immigrants to be afraid. And that's bad for everyone. In San Diego, we're the border community, right? We are on the border. And we know better than most how important immigrants are to our community and to our economy.

6:43And we've already seen the impacts of this. We see that kids are starting to not go to school because their parents are afraid that they might get picked up, dropping them off. We've seen ICE agents pick people up while they are literally leaving the courthouse, trying to do the right thing, going through the legal process, right? We've seen folks go to workplaces like Buena Forqueda, where all of that, the flashbangs, the smoke grenades, all of that, the tactical riot gear, they ended up getting four people, none of which had any prior criminal history, right? This is what we're seeing. And I do think that they are doing this to scare our community and to scare people away from speaking up about how wrong this is.

7:26Ben Meiselas:No, it just, again, it seems cruelty is the point over and over. We saw even Pope Leo XIV sending in a bishop, a newly appointed bishop, to be at the San Diego courthouses because of the tactic where people who are there going through a lawful process, they're showing up to court. And while they're there, you have ICE agents either waiting in the halls to arrest them or waiting in the bushes outside when they leave the court. And then they do this thing where they like dismiss the cases so that they can then do expedited deportations. And it's tell me more about the impact it's having on the community.

8:11Ben Meiselas:What are you hearing from constituents? Because for all of the viewers who know, too, San Diego, you know, has a conservative element, you know, to it as well. It's not, you know, a foregone conclusion that there'll be a Democratic congress member from your district or from the area. Talk to us about our views changing. What are you seeing? Look, one of the things about this whole issue about immigration is that I often find the closer you live to the border, the actually less partisan it gets, right? Like, even Republicans in San Diego know how important immigrants are to our economy here, right, to our workforce.

8:50many, many people live in Tijuana and work in San Diego every single day. People are constantly crossing back and forth across the border. And so I think we just have a different understanding. It's much harder to fear monger when you're actually living this day to day than when you're a far away and just seeing what they show you on Fox News or something else. And so I will say, like, I have been so incredibly proud of our community in San Diego across the board, standing up and saying, this is not okay. You know, we, I've had people who I know are lifelong conservatives, lifelong Republicans who have started speaking up and saying, this is not okay.

9:28This is not good for our community. This is not making any of us safer. And by the way, being a border community, San Diego is still one of the safest big cities in the whole country, because this is not actually about public safety. This is about scaring people. And, you know, one of the things I talked to our local police departments and our local sheriffs all the time. In California, we have a state law where they aren't allowed to do immigration enforcement, but even still, we are starting to see people not reporting crimes because they are worried about, you know, if they report a crime, what it will mean for their immigration, even if they're a citizen, but maybe they live in a mixed status family, which is very, very common in San Diego.

10:08And just last week, we saw plainclothes officers, none of them who identified themselves, take a woman as she was leaving her workplace. So again, like this is not actually making us safer as, as a young woman myself, I'm very concerned about, you know, someone coming up in plain clothes saying that they are a member of law enforcement without any real identification and that you're just so supposed to submit. Like to me as a young woman who like my whole life has been taught all these different things to do to keep myself safe. Like that is a really scary proposition and the idea that that's what we that's what our constituents are being subjected to by this administration.

10:46It's it's really dangerous. It's not making us safer.

10:50Ben Meiselas:Also, what's not making us safer, in my view, is this disastrous budget bill. I mean, there was previously a comprehensive immigration bill that Donald Trump killed that was on the table that would have made us safer, stronger borders, but reflecting a pathway to citizenship for hardworking people. It was a compromise, right, between Democrats. And it was led by a very right-wing senator from Oklahoma, of all places. And Trump said, no, I don't want that. But what they do want, apparently, is a disastrous budget bill that's going to kick off 15 million people from Medicaid, and it's going to cause devastation in communities across the country.

11:30Ben Meiselas:How is it going to impact your district, Eastern San Diego, the surrounding areas? And in general, what's your reaction to this as the Senate's made it worse? Yeah, I mean, I think many of us were hoping the Senate was going to at least take out some of the most harmful provisions. Alas, they have actually made it worse, I guess. Lesson learned, never trust the Senate, something I should have already learned in my time in the House. But the thing is, this is a really devastating bill. It's going to kick 18 million people off of their healthcare. It's going to make millions of people more hungry.

12:07Our food bank in San Diego already feeds about 400 ,000 people a year, and that number is going to skyrocket with this bill, and there's going to be less food to go around. I've been talking to folks all across my district about what this means. About one in five people in San Diego County rely on Medicaid for their health care. And I met little Delilah, who's five years old and loves singing and dancing and counting and has a numerous amount of health challenges. And Medicaid is the only way that she's able to get her health care. Or two-year-old Cesar, who has short gut syndrome and a few other things.

12:44He has about 20 to 30 health care appointments a year. And again, Medicaid is the only way he's able to get the health care that he needs. So I know some of my Republican colleagues like to talk about how this is about waste fraud and abuse or, you know, in California about not letting immigrants access Medicaid. But the fact of the matter is these are real people in our community who are going to be hurt by these cuts. And like we are going to be paying for this health care one way or another. This this bill adds, you know, probably four trillion dollars to the deficit. and at a time when we already have a super high debt.

13:24And yet the kinds of investments we need to be making are in investing in preventative medicine because we actually get a$12 return for every$1 we invest in preventative medicine. And so you can pull this healthcare away. This is the cheaper, more preventative healthcare that's going to help our community. We're going to be paying for it anyways in emergency care. That's more expensive and less good for our communities. And that's what I've been hearing across the board from folks in my district.

13:52Ben Meiselas:It also just feels like a massive betrayal, obviously, to current people who are going to be impacted, but to future generations, to younger people. It just seems like one of the things that Donald Trump claimed that he was going to do is make things more affordable for younger people. You're the youngest member of California's congressional delegation. You're about five years, four years younger than me. I just turned 40. And, you know, our generation, people struggle to pay their rent, yet alone be able to afford a home. Um, there's, there's a lot of people feeling that this idea of the American dream, if you did certain things and you worked a job, you'd be able to live, live, live a life that we saw our parents, at least our grandparents be able to live in, at least in terms of buying a home.

14:48Ben Meiselas:But over the past, you know, this disaster is 155, 160 days, whatever it's been. It seems that it's made things far worse. and this disastrous bill is going to, I think, crush our generations and future generations. I'm thinking about my daughter who I just brought to a doctor's appointment who's eight months old. I'm just thinking about her generation and what we're doing. Can you speak to that, given your position as the youngest California member of Congress? Yeah, I mean, that's absolutely right. Our generation, and we are so used to politicians making bad decisions that have reverberated for decades, whether it's how they addressed the financial crisis or the lead up to it, how they address the Iraq war, right?

15:31Like we are still dealing with the consequences of those decisions made when I was in middle school, right? And yet we're doing the same thing again. And one thing I think we need to be clear about, like this is not just this bill, right? The status quo was not working for too many people in our generation. For too many people in our generation, they couldn't afford homes, they couldn't afford childcare. Ben, I don't need to tell you, you know how hard everything is right now. So we need to, we need to recognize the role and the part that we as Democrats played in perpetuating that status quo.

16:03But this bill, this bill is going to make things like so much worse, right? Because not only is it going to be kicking people off of the healthcare that they need, it's going to make healthcare premiums more expensive for everybody. It's getting rid of all these different things that our communities rely on to be successful, all to give more tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations. And it's going to add about$4 trillion to the deficit. And it's going to be our generations that then are going to be left having to pay off that debt instead of making the investments that we know we need to make our communities better and stronger, like in preventative medicine, like in quality early childhood education, childcare, like in all these things that I feel like our generation really knows we need.

16:52And yet now we're going to be stuck holding the bag, not only on these bad policies, but on this debt that they're leaving us all to give tax breaks to their friends.

17:00Ben Meiselas:Finally, Congressman, I always like to ask this question because sometimes when you do an interview like this or you go on a cable news network, they've got their set questions, but I'm sure there are areas and issues and topics that are really important to you that you don't get asked the question that deserves more attention. So given that we have this platform where we're approaching 6 million subscribers, I always like to throw it to the Congress member and say, is there something that's out there that's not getting enough attention that you want to bring attention to that you think our viewers should know and in turn that they should be sharing with other people?

17:33Absolutely. So I'll say two things. One is child care. Look, I know that probably our generations know a lot about how difficult the child care crisis is right now. In San Diego, about two-thirds of people live in a child care desert where they can't even find childcare, let alone afford it. And I do think this is fundamentally one of the most important investments we can make in fixing our society, because if you can make sure every kid gets what they need early on in life, they will have better outcomes throughout their whole life. But the second thing I will say that I think is definitely not getting enough attention is the conflict in Sudan.

18:08We are seeing millions of people being displaced. It's the world's largest displacement crisis. You've got about 14 million people who are on the brink of famine, and it's two warring parties, one of which is being primarily supported by the United Arab Emirates. The United States is the largest supplier of weapons to the United Arab Emirates. The UAE is then supporting this militant group, the Rapid Support Forces. Our State Department has said that the RSF has committed genocide and acts of war. Truthfully, both sides have committed war crimes, but the RSF has committed genocide. And I think that all of us, especially our generation that grew up with the Save Door 4 movement that understands how bad the situation is and can get, need to be speaking up more because it is a horrific humanitarian situation.

19:06and we need to be doing more to help stop it.

19:10Ben Meiselas:Congresswoman Sarah Jacobs, thanks for joining us. Thanks for having me. Everybody hit subscribe. Let's get to 6 million subscribers. The truth is more important than ever. Check out our new Truth Over Lies collection at store.midastouch.com. All 100 % USA union made.

19:36Ben Meiselas:Observe. The North American Dad. 50s. Great polo collection. He enters his vehicle information on Carvana. An offer appears in minutes. Remarkable. He squints, reads it again, smiles and says, Dang, that's a good offer. The highest form of approval. No haggling. No hassle. No one called him boss. He's still on the couch. Astonishing. Sell your car today on Carvana.com. Pickup fees may apply. Starting a business can seem like a daunting task, unless you have a partner like Shopify. They have the tools you need to start and grow your business. From designing a website, to marketing, to selling, and beyond, Shopify can help with everything you need.

20:20Ben Meiselas:There's a reason millions of companies like Mattel, Heinz, and Allbirds continue to trust and use them. With Shopify on your side, turn your big business idea into... Sign up for your$1 per month trial at shopify.com slash special offer. When it comes to my policy, Farmers gives it to me straight, so there's no surprises. It's your coverage. You should never be confused. You hear that? An insurance provider with a conscience. We're a choir, but yes, we have that too. Straightforward coverage you can literally understand. That's what you get when you have Farmers. Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum. Learn more at Farmers.com.

21:01Ben Meiselas:Underwritten by Farmers Truck or Fire Insurance Exchanges or Affiliate. Products not available in every state. summer's full of reasons to look your best Tecovis western boots are handcrafted in over 200 steps with premium cowhide and exotic leathers and they're comfortable right out of the box no break in period just boots you can wear all summer long their performance shirting and premium denim keep you cool and put together wherever the season takes you and of course you can always stop by Tecovis.com Tecovis forever west I'm Hannah I've lost 75 pounds in 20 months with GLP-1s, plus diet and exercise.

21:39On Rho, I've gone from struggling to run a mile to running farther every day. You can access FDA-approved GLP-1s online. Get the support you need to reach your weight loss goals. Go to roe.co slash weight to see if you qualify. I'm a paid Rho partner. 20 % average weight loss in one year in non-diabetics with obesity or overweight with a weight-related medical condition versus 3.1 % in placebo arm. Rx only. To stay informed about serious side effects, go to roe.co slash safety.

From the publisher

MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on Donald Trump’s disastrous plans blowing up in his face as cities unify against him and Meiselas interviews Congresswoman Sara Jacobs about her efforts to push back against Trump.

Visit https://meidasplus.com for more!

Remember to subscribe to ALL the MeidasTouch Network Podcasts:

MeidasTouch: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/meidastouch-podcast

Legal AF: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/legal-af

MissTrial: https://meidasnews.com/tag/miss-trial

The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-politicsgirl-podcast

The Influence Continuum: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-influence-continuum-with-dr-steven-hassan

Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/mea-culpa-with-michael-cohen

The Weekend Show: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-weekend-show

Burn the Boats: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/burn-the-boats

Majority 54: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/majority-54

Political Beatdown: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/political-beatdown

On Democracy with FP Wellman: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/on-democracy-with-fpwellman

Uncovered: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/maga-uncovered

Coalition of the Sane: https://meidasnews.com/tag/coalition-of-the-sane
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More from The MeidasTouch Podcast

All 2,211 episodes
Congresswoman Jacobs Lays Out Plan Against TrumpThe MeidasTouch Podcast · 21 min
Listen in VO