Transcript

Weaponized Migration” — One of the Most ‘Sophisticated Invasions’ In History

From Morning Wire · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 15 min · 2,790 words · 33 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Weaponized Migration” — One of the Most ‘Sophisticated Invasions’ In History", an episode of Morning Wire published February 1, 2026 (15 min, about 2,790 words). It mentions 8 people, works and ideas, including The Invisible Coup: How American Elites and Foreign Powers Use Immigration as a Weapon, Mexico, EB5 program, Maria Sai, Bernie Sanders.

What this episode is about

The discussion focuses on the weaponization of migration, highlighting how foreign governments exploit immigration systems to influence American politics and national security. Peter Schweitzer, president of the Government Accountability Institute, emphasizes the implications of allowing new migrants to vote and engage in political processes, framing it as a significant threat to national integrity.

Key takeaways

  • When immigration meets foreign agendas, our democracy's fate hangs by a thread—it's a modern Trojan horse.
  • Cartels profit more from open borders than from drugs; a twisted win-win thanks to political naivety.
  • With potential spies slipping through our visa system, the EB5 program might as well be a welcome mat for adversaries.
  • Progressive alliances stretch south, blending politics and crime; an unsettling reminder of globalization's shadowy side.
  • Ignoring drug cartel influence in U.S. politics is like ignoring a wolf in sheep's clothing—dangerous and naïve.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 3:00: Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC)
  2. – 6:00: EB5 program, Maria Sai
  3. – 9:00: Mexico, EB5 program, Citizens United
  4. – 12:00: Mexico
  5. – 15:00: Mexico

Notable quotes from "Weaponized Migration” — One of the Most ‘Sophisticated Invasions’ In History"

  • Investigative journalist Peter Schweitzer joins us now to talk about his new book, The Invisible Coup: How American Elites and Foreign Powers Use Immigration as a Weapon. Great to have.
    about The Invisible Coup: How American Elites and Foreign Powers Use Immigration as a Weapon · at
  • Yeah, so there's a EB5 program. It's a visa program that was started in 1991 by Congress designed to spur investment in the United States. If you invest a million dollars in the United States and.
    about EB5 program · at
  • People are trying to resurrect the program. The problem with permanent resident status is that the Supreme Court determined in the Citizens United case that making political…
    about Citizens United · at
  • Families, and their culture, they bring with them often times political networks. So we see governments like Mexico, for example, working to exert sovereignty within the United…
    about Mexico · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Maria Sai — Person · Referenced alleged foreign agent / lobbyist · 1 mention · first at
    Identified by the guest as a key lobbyist behind the EB-5 visa program and described as later deemed a Chinese spy by a Senate committee, used to support the episode's argument about immigration-system exploitation.
    United States. Turns out that law was passed by Congress. one of the most important lobbyists, the person that really pushed that legislation over the finish line was a lady…
  • Bernie Sanders — Person · Referenced political figure · 1 mention · first at
    Cited as the founder of Progressive International, which the guest alleges is connected (via participants/leadership) to Latin American actors linked to drug cartels.
    There's been this movement to bring progressives from Latin America together with those from North America. One of the groups doing this is a group called Progressive…
  • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) — Person · Referenced politician · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as an example of a Democrat in Congress participating with Progressive International, in the guest's discussion of alleged cartel-linked influence networks.
    There's been this movement to bring progressives from Latin America together with those from North America. One of the groups doing this is a group called Progressive…

Books & papers

Concepts & topics

  • EB5 program — Concept · Key argument · 2 mentions · first at
    Discussed as a visa program exploited by foreign powers to influence US politics.
  • Citizens United — Concept · Key argument · 1 mention · first at
    Discussed in the context of political donations and first amendment rights.

Places & events

  • Mexico — Place · Setting · 5 mentions · first at
    Discussed as a source of weaponized migration and political influence in the US.

Sponsors

  • NetSuite — Company · Sponsor · 4 mentions
    Sponsor of the podcast episode, promoting their AI-powered cloud ERP solution.

Full transcript with timestamps

This book is about the weaponization of migration and how foreign governments and adversaries have weaponized our immigration system. But when they turn 18, they're going to be able to vote. They're going to be able to donate to political campaigns. They're going to be able to get government jobs. It's a massive, massive national security problem. That was Peter Schweitzer, president of the Government Accountability Institute, discussing the explosive findings of his new investigative book, The Invisible Coup: How American Elites and Foreign Powers Immigration as a Weapon.

In this episode, we sit down with Schweitzer to discuss what his investigative team has uncovered about these foreign influence campaigns. I'm Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley with Georgia How. This is a weekend edition of Morning Wire.

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Great to be with you, John. Thanks for having me. So, look, there's a lot in this book that we can't hope to fully cover here, of course, but I wanted to ask you about a few things that will be of particular interest to our audience. Let's start with the cartels. Uh, they're a major target for the Trump administration, obviously. You track the cartels particularly partnering with progressives to influence Washington. Can you unpack that for us?

Yeah. So, the drug cartels of course have been politically active south of the border for decades. That's no big surprise. But what's happening is there's been this movement to bring progressives from Latin America together with those from North America. One of the groups doing this is a group called Progressive International. It was founded by Bernie Sanders. It's run by his former foreign policy adviser. uh his chief of staff participates with the organization as do a bunch of uh uh Democrats in Congress uh people like AOC, Craig Cesar, etc. Well, this organization uh has set up a leadership structure that has populated with individuals from Latin America who are linked to the drug cartels. Uh and what they've done is they push for two uh very important things that the drug cartels want. Number one is open borders. the drug cartels actually make more money off of human smuggling when the border is o open than they do from

drugs. The second thing they're pushing for is ending the military war against the drug cartels in Latin America. So, we're seeing a leakage of drug cartel influence moving into North America and affecting our politics.

Well, and have you seen um any sort of reverse reversal of this with Trump coming in power in the last year? Is there is there a real effect in Washington? I think it's going to create a sense of urgency, John, because uh what what they're hoping to do is avoid uh US involvement in the events of Latin America, the drug cartel activity, political influence, etc. So, it's probably going to add urgency to it um in the short term out of a desire to prevent Trump from taking some of the actions he's taken in Venezuela and elsewhere.

Are there legal implications for these ties? Anybody tied to these cartels now? Are the stakes higher now for them?

Uh they are. And look, it it could be. Um I'm not a lawyer, but um there are um laws and statutes that apply to individuals that are uh involved with uh activities with either terrorist designated organizations or drug cartels designated by the federal government. So there is possible uh implication here legally. I'm not an attorney, but it's an enormous problem. And I think we make a big mistake when we look at immigration and assume that it's just a function of economics. And if we think that the drug cartel problem is a problem south of the border, it's not just something that bubbles up occasionally here in terms of violence.

It's actually something that is um walking around in our halls of Congress, which should concern us deeply. I think

you also hit something that we've been covering on and off here on this show for a few years, and that's the US visa program. You say it's being exploited by actual spies. What evidence did you find of this?

Yeah, so there's a EB5 program. It's a visa program that was started in 1991 by Congress designed to spur investment in the United States. If you invest a million dollars in the United States and create a certain number of jobs, you can get permanent resident status in the United States. Turns out that law was passed by Congress. Uh, one of the most important lobbyists, the person that really pushed that legislation over the finish line was a lady named Maria Sai, who it turns out was in fact a Chinese spy, or at least a Senate committee declared that about 8 years after the bill was passed. And the problem is the CB5 program is a very clever way to inject foreign money legally into our elections. Uh, so let me explain. You get permanent resident status if you come through this program. doesn't mean you actually have to live here. Uh, in fact, there are a lot of Chinese billionaires who have obtained permanent

resident status through this program that brag how they don't actually live in the United States. They remain in China. But if you get permanent resident status in the United States, John, you are allowed to legally donate to political campaigns. Uh, and you can donate, you know, in in some instances, we found tens of millions of dollars flowing into political campaigns in the United States from individuals that remain in China. So this is kind of a covert way of manipulating our immigration system to curry influence and expand their power within the United States government.

Are there any efforts to close this kind of loophole? It's more than a loophole, but this loophole that allows this kind of thing.

Yeah, it's challenging. So the EB5 program is set to sunset in 2026. Some people are trying to resurrect the program. The problem with permanent resident status is that the Supreme Court determined in the Citizens United case that uh making political donations is a first amendment right from being in the United States. So uh it would be hard for me to believe that the courts would allow a law that says permanent resident status means you can't donate to campaigns because you're effectively saying people don't have first amendment rights even though they live here or supposed to live here permanently. I do think though that what we should do is have disclosure. They should be required campaign should be required to say we received this large check from a non-citizen who is donating to our campaign. So at least there is some transparency because right now you go through the FC records there's no way of

knowing whether this is foreign money or US money that's going into campaigns. One of the points you make that's really interesting is we all talk about what happens to people when they arrive in the US. you say we should back up and and really start the conversation way before that. Some of this some of what you've already touched on actually addresses some of these things. But what what do you mean by this?

Well, what I mean is that, you know, we we've been having a national conversation about immigration in the United States, about its effect on wages, uh safety on our streets, how it might influence our culture. Very, very, very important debate and discussion. Uh and I think President Trump deserves a lot of credit for sealing the border. But we have to step back and realize that we're not just dealing with immigration that is sort of random and and and organic. We're dealing with weaponized migration. What do I mean by that? Foreign actors, foreign governments see it as a weapon to deploy against us. So they are encouraging it.

They are pushing it. And once immigrants come into the United States, they bring with them not only themselves, their families, and their culture, they bring with them often times political networks. So we see governments like Mexico, for example, working to exert uh sovereignty within the United States by activating migrants and turning them into a into a political force. The Mexican government, for example, has something called migrant TV or migrante TV. This is a news service, I'll put that in air quotes, by the Mexican government specifically for migrants in the country, but it's highly uh, you know, laced with propaganda. Uh, anti-Trump, ISIS uh, ICE agents are Nazis. Um, they are trying to radicalize and motivate migrants inside the country and turn them into a political force.

There there's evidence that people connected to the Mexican consulates are doing the same thing. And I name some of those individuals in the book.

And again, as you mentioned, uh the cartels have so much influence in Mexico. So the cartels certainly shaping that content as well.

Yes, no question about that. Um and they're pushing these themes and you see that with the Shine Bomb administration in Mexico. Uh they don't want the Trump administration to go after the drug cartels. Uh and as I point out in the book, Shyom has a long history of cooperation and working with the drug cartels. She's appointed senior people to the national police that are known or have been known to have been connected to the drug cartels.

This is a pretty large question, but what are the the national security implications for all of this? What you've uncovered?

Well, they're enormous. I mean, I'll give you one uh related to China. China has created an industrialsized uh exploitation of birthright citizenship. Supreme Court is going to be hearing this case this spring. This is the idea that if you happen to be in the United States, give birth to a child, that child becomes a US citizen because this is where they were born. Our federal government does not keep track of how many people have done this. We have no idea because when you're given a birth certificate, it does not say the nationality of the parents. Uh but the Chinese government has looked at this and they have come up with some astonishing numbers of how they themselves have exploited this. The Chinese government and and some of the research firms in China estimate that over the last 13 years, 100,000 Chinese a year have been born in the United States, been granted citizenship, and then are returned back to China

where they are raised in CCP schools. They're often the children of the elite. So, if you do the math, John, you're looking at more than a million US citizens that right now are being raised in China. and when they turn 18, they're going to be able to vote in our elections, donate to our political campaigns, take government jobs. Let's remember the 2016 presidential election was settled by 80,000 votes. So, we can see the potential, the ability here for China to manipulate our politics is enormous.

Yeah. Related to this, you use the term instant citizen. Can you unpack that term for us?

Yeah, th this is this is birthright citizenship. Uh, and China has mastered the exploitation of this. They did this before in Hong Kong about 20 years ago. The then Hong Kong government stopped it because they realized what was going on. China sees this as a way of infiltrating the United States by creating a a a large group of super citizens as it were that are Chinese nationals but are granted have been granted US citizenship by being born here. It's goes even beyond the so-called birth tourism when they travel here to give birth to a child. Some uh CCP officials in China have started hiring surrogate mothers in the United States where they donate the sperm. Uh the the woman who they call a carrier is paid $50,000 to carry and give birth to the child. That child will be granted US citizenship because the birth mother is American and they're born on American soil. We have no idea how widespread this is, but let me just

give you a couple of data points. Wall Street Journal had a piece a couple of weeks ago where they found one individual, one Chinese billionaire close to the CCP has over 100 children born in the United States, US citizens using this technique. We found in Southern California in our research that there are in just Southern California 107 Chineseed uh surrogacy companies that that specialize in doing just this thing. So, this is a sophisticated war uh form of invasion or subversion. This is not organic. And that's what I mean by weaponized immigration.

In fact, it's so broad and complex, it's something out of out of a movie, it's actually hard to believe. I think a lot of people probably are shocked to discover the reality of what's what's happening here. We usually worry about countries like Russia influencing elections. You say Mexico should be on everyone's radar more. How so?

Yeah. uh you know Mexico views uh migrants that are in the United States as a strategic tool. That's the term that they use and they want to activate that base and they do that through a variety of mechanisms. One is the vast network of consulates that they have in the United States. These are basically many embassies. Uh and it's enormous. I was shocked by this. Uh the United Kingdom and China have six and seven consulates in the United States respectively. Mexico has 53. Uh and as I point out in the book, I name them. Uh these consular officials, they're involved in organizing uh violent anti-ICE protests and other actions on the street, but they're also meddling in our politics. Um we got the hold of a transcript of a 2024 meeting at the of all places Oklahoma City, Oklahoma consulate where they brought together diplomats from Mexico from the consulates in Los Angeles, Orlando, and everything in between. people flew in

from Mexico City and there was another group that was at this meeting uh and these were Democratic Party activists and the discussion was about how they had turned California from blue from red to blue. They turned Arizona from red to blue and they wanted to do the same thing on a national scale to stop Donald Trump uh from winning. Whatever one's views are on Trump, you can have those views, but you're not supposed to as a diplomat of a foreign government be involved in political campaigns. And that is exactly what they're doing.

Whereas, as you've detailed here, just a really remarkable sort of web of influence from foreign countries, particularly south of the border, that a lot of people have not actually paid enough attention to. Peter, thank you so much for joining us.

Always a pleasure, John. Thanks for having me. That was Peter Schwitzer discussing his new book, The Invisible Coup. And this has been a weekend edition of Morning Wire.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Weaponized Migration” — One of the Most ‘Sophisticated Invasions’ In History"?

John Bickley (Host), Peter Schweitzer (Guest), Georgia How (Host).

What is "Weaponized Migration” — One of the Most ‘Sophisticated Invasions’ In History" about?

The discussion focuses on the weaponization of migration, highlighting how foreign governments exploit immigration systems to influence American politics and national security. Peter Schweitzer, president of the Government Accountability Institute, emphasizes the implications of allowing new migrants to vote and engage in political processes, framing it as a significant threat to national…

What is mentioned in this Morning Wire episode?

8 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including The Invisible Coup: How American Elites and Foreign Powers Use Immigration as a Weapon, Mexico, EB5 program, Maria Sai, Bernie Sanders, Citizens United. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Weaponized Migration” — One of the Most ‘Sophisticated Invasions’ In History"?

The episode runs 15 min; the transcript is about 2,790 words in 33 timestamped sections.

More from Morning Wire

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated February 1, 2026.