Podcasts

The Podcast

Exposing the Cartel Visa Scheme: The Truth Behind the Border Crisis Are Mexican cartels finding new ways to get migrants into the United States? Larry Alex Taunton returns to his reporting on migration through Mexico, tracing what he says has changed since the migrant caravans and camps he documented beginning in 2019. From coyotes and sophisticated cross-border tunnels to allegations of a new fast-track visa scheme, Larry examines the routes migrants may be using to enter the U.S. At the center of the episode is a striking claim from Larry’s sources: that cartels can allegedly manipulate the U.S. visa appointment system to secure appointments—and potentially visas—within days. Larry explores how such a scheme could operate, including allegations involving bots, appointment slots, transferred accounts, and possible insiders. These claims are presented as allegations from Taunton’s reporting, not established findings by U.S. authorities. The scale of legitimate visa processing is significant: State Department figures show the Mexico City post issued 623,896 nonimmigrant visas and 31 immigrant visas in FY2024. Current State Department data lists Mexico City’s next available B1/B2 appointment at roughly 6.5 months, though wait times change regularly.
Larry Alex Taunton channel avatar Larry Alex Taunton 155K
Exposing the Cartel Visa Scheme: The Truth Behind the Border Crisis
Larry Alex Taunton September 18, 2026 8:54 am
Are Mexican cartels finding new ways to get migrants into the United States? Larry Alex Taunton returns to his reporting on migration through Mexico, tracing what he says has changed since the migrant caravans and camps he documented beginning in 2019. From coyotes and sophisticated cross-border tunnels to allegations of a new fast-track visa scheme, Larry examines the routes migrants may be using to enter the U.S. At the center of the episode is a striking claim from Larry’s sources: that cartels can allegedly manipulate the U.S. visa appointment system to secure appointments—and potentially visas—within days. Larry explores how such a scheme could operate, including allegations involving bots, appointment slots, transferred accounts, and possible insiders. These claims are presented as allegations from Taunton’s reporting, not established findings by U.S. authorities. The scale of legitimate visa processing is significant: State Department figures show the Mexico City post issued 623,896 nonimmigrant visas and 31 immigrant visas in FY2024. Current State Department data lists Mexico City’s next available B1/B2 appointment at roughly 6.5 months, though wait times change regularly. Exposing the Cartel Visa Scheme: The Truth Behind the Border Crisis
What did 9/11 reveal about the conflict between Islam and the West—and have we misunderstood it ever since? In this episode of Ideas Have Consequences, Larry Alex Taunton examines Islam, Christianity, and the ideas he believes are shaping an ongoing civilizational struggle. Drawing from his experiences reporting and debating around the world—from Nigeria and London’s Speakers’ Corner to encounters surrounding 9/11—Larry argues that the West has failed to take Islamic texts, history, and theology seriously enough. He discusses the Quran, Hadith, Muhammad, the legacy of the Crusades, radicalism and martyrdom, as well as the role of media, socialism, the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, China, and what he describes as the “Red-Green Alliance.” Ultimately, Larry argues that the battle facing the West is not merely political. It is a battle of ideas—and one that requires courage, clarity, and a renewed understanding of the Christian foundations of Western civilization. Timestamps: 00:00 Islam and Violence 01:22 Ideas Shape Culture 04:26 War Since the Middle Ages 07:47 Firsthand Encounters 08:53 Swatting and Ground Zero 13:55 The “Religion of Peace” Debate 20:16 Media and the Racism Label 22:59 The Martyrdom Thought Experiment 29:47 Socialism as a Trojan Horse 35:21 Courage to Speak Out 36:53 Airport Story and Q&A 40:22 China and Global Connections 45:27 Faith and the Origins of Islam 49:47 Books and Final Thoughts What 9/11 Revealed About Islam and the West
Why is Islam gaining influence in the West—and what does the decline of Christianity have to do with it? Seth sits down with Christian author and Fixed Point Foundation founder Larry Alex Taunton to discuss the religious and ideological battle shaping the modern West. Drawing on his experiences debating prominent atheists, reporting around the world, and participating in the recent Oxford Union debate on Islam, Larry argues that the decline of Christianity has created a cultural vacuum that secularism may be unable to fill. Larry explains why he believes Islam holds particular appeal for young men, what his encounters with Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens taught him about atheism, and why a society cannot indefinitely retain Christian moral assumptions after abandoning the Christian worldview that produced them. The conversation also explores abortion, Marxism, conscience, the Quran, the Oxford Union controversy involving Laurence Fox, and Larry’s warning that ideas have consequences—not only for individuals, but for entire civilizations. The Rise of Islam and the Collapse of the Secular West | Seth Gruber
Dinesh D’Souza joins Larry Alex Taunton to discuss his book The Stones Cry Out: Biblical Archaeology Prophecy in the Last Days and why he believes archaeology has repeatedly corroborated the Bible after 150 years of skeptical attack. D’Souza describes how a 2022 trip to Israel drew him into the field, his background with higher criticism, and his focus on “known ground” artifacts rather than disputed claims. They examine major finds including the Caiaphas ossuary, the Tel Dan “House of David” inscription, the Balaam son of Beor inscription, and discoveries like the Pool of Siloam, along with debates around sites such as Sodom and Gomorrah. D’Souza also previews a PragerU documentary releasing alongside the book and explains how biblical texts can guide excavation. Archaeology Keeps Confirming the Bible – Here’s the Evidence | Dinesh D’Souza PT 2
Did God choose you—or did you choose God? Larry Alex Taunton and Dinesh D’Souza dive into one of Christianity’s most difficult and debated questions: How do God’s sovereignty and human responsibility fit together? The conversation was sparked by D’Souza’s reaction to an R.C. Sproul lecture on predestination, leading to a deeper discussion about Calvin, free will, original sin, salvation, and the nature of human choice. Taunton argues that Scripture presents a real tension between God’s sovereign purposes and human responsibility, while D’Souza pushes back, emphasizing the meaningful choices people make throughout Scripture. Together, they explore: Predestination and human choice Calvin vs. hyper-Calvinism Original sin and the limits of human freedom Assurance of salvation God’s sovereignty and human responsibility Romans 5, John 6, Romans 8, Acts 2, Job, and John 17 Calvin’s “accommodation” principle A thoughtful conversation on one of theology’s biggest questions: If God is sovereign, what does it mean for us to choose? Predestination or Choice? Dinesh D’Souza on Calvinism
Dr. Jay Smith on Islam’s Origins: Sources, Mecca, Muhammad, and the Quran Larry interviews Dr. Jay Smith, a Christian Islamicist and polemicist, who presents a visual, source-based critique of Islam’s origins focused on four areas: the reliability and timing of Islamic sources, the historical plausibility of Mecca, early evidence for Muhammad, and the compilation and preservation claims of the Quran. Smith argues that key Islamic biographies, hadith, tafsir, and histories appear 200–300 years after Muhammad and were produced far from Mecca and Medina, that early external and geographic evidence does not support Mecca’s centrality or even early existence, that early inscriptions and coinage suggest a later development of distinct Islamic identity and the term “Muhammad” as a title, and that multiple qira’at and manuscript variants challenge the claim of a single unchanged Quran. He concludes by urging Christians to use this material to point Muslims to Jesus and the Bible. Islamic origins • early Islam • Muhammad • Mecca • Quran history • Quran manuscripts • qira'at • hadith • tafsir • sira • Islamic historiography • early Islamic inscriptions • Islamic coins • Dome of the Rock • Birmingham Quran folios • Quran preservation • Christian apologetics • Jesus and Islam • Bible and Quran #Islam #JaySmith #Muhammad #Mecca #Quran #IslamicHistory #ChristianApologetics #QuranHistory #EarlyIslam #Jesus Dr. Jay Smith DISPROVES the Origins of Islam, the Quran and Mecca | Shocking Historical Evidence
Subscribe