We're Jordon Dyrdahl-Roberts and Isaac Saul. Jordon quit his job when he was asked to process data that would be used to locate and detain undocumented immigrants. Isaac Saul is reporter at A Plus. We're here to answer your questions about immigra...

Isaac and Jordon how do we go about reforming immigration laws to ensure our country’s safety while still providing opportunities to immigrants and refugees?

Interestingly, I think the most important thing our country has to do is address the immigration backlog. So many people talk about decreasing border crossings, codifying DACA, deporting criminals, locating undocumented immigrants, etc. Very little attention goes to the fact that we have over 600,000 pending immigration cases. The fallout from that is massive: it means asylum seekers can cross the border, get a date for their immigration case two years down the road, and then — if they aren’t detained — simply disappear. It also means that real criminals get stuck in the system as well, so people who should be deported don’t have their cases heard or get released without being deported. At the same time, thousands of families and innocent men, women and children who need asylum wait in prison to have a case heard. If we clear the backlogs and get back to zero, it’d make everything else a lot easier to handle. - Isaac

I think it's a false dichotomy between allowing immigrants in and national security. Right now there are a lot of instances of immigrants facing possible detention and deportation for calling 911 or attempting to press charges against their abusers. We are giving people a hard choice between reporting a crime and being deported back to a country where they may not be safe or just keeping there head down and making all of us less safe. At the very least, we should allow people to report and file charges without fear of deportation. ~Jordon

Jordon-- I know you've tweeted about it to a degree, but when you came forward with your concerns, what was the attitude of your employer? Do you think your decision to leave has affected their policies in any way?

The Department gave me a lot of opportunities to stay. The offered to move me to another position and gave me plenty of time to consider my decision. I just couldn't stay once I felt the whole process had been tainted.

I don't know if the department, as a whole, has much of a choice in the matter. Unless a decision is made by someone in a position of power, their collective hands are tied. Now, individuals have a different choice to make. ~Jordon

Do processes like the Canadian one actually help the process of immigration or does it only create a more biased environment?

What do you mean by the "Canadian one?" Are you referencing a particular part of their immigration policy or the whole thing? ~Jordon

Hi Jordan, what was the environment/mood like at your former workplace when those data process requirements went into effect?

Everyone was supportive of me, but before I could get much of a read on the mood, I was out of the office after this story took off. There were some people who said they didn't think they could have processed the information requests, but they weren't people in a position where they would have had to. ~Jordon

Thanks for your bravery guys!

Isaac, have you found it harder to be a journalist the last year with people becoming more and more skeptical of mass media and new distributed on social platforms?

And thanks for the question! It's been scary and disappointing at times. The worst I've gotten is waves of anti-Semitism online. It also sucks when you see your friends trashing the industry on Facebook. But I think the skepticism about the media, especially television media, is reasonable. Most of what gets covered on CNN or Fox News is there to drive ratings. Fox is the "original" spin machine of TV lies and mistruths, and they perfected the game during Obama's presidency. Unfortunately, CNN has fallen into a lot of similar habits by running with every little story they can to make it as dramatic and splashy as possible. It's a really contagious, ugly cycle and I don't blame anyone for being skeptical of what they see on TV.

That being said, the last two years have been a Golden Era of journalism in the written/print form. The Washington Post, The New York Times, Axios, ProPublica, The Intercept and POLITICO, among others, have broken some incredible stories. Not a lot of people remember the New York Times was first to publication with the story about Hillary's private server, which may have sunk her campaign. Most people think of the stories they've done on Trump, but every one of those publications has broken earth-shattering news across party lines and it's been exciting and impactful to witness as a reporter. Of course, www.aplus.com has done its part too! - Isaac

Hey all! Our time is up. Thanks for the convo and the great questions. Civil discourse is a dying breed in this country and it was great to get into with you all.

You can keep up with us on Twitter if you want to keep the conversation going:

https://twitter.com/dyrbert

https://twitter.com/Ike_Saul

Isaac & Jordon: How can we, as individuals, help? How can we help protect undocumented immigrants and fight for their rights to stay here in the country?

Edit: I should have clarified this more. How do we create a system that allows for undocumented immigrants to become legal? How do we, as a country, prevent cruelty to these people in the meantime? How do we increase empathy, and create a country that is a safe space for those looking for better futures for themselves and their families?

Those are some big questions that don't really have easy answers. (People write dissertations on this stuff.) But I think the core is citizen engagement. People need to vote. They need to call their congress critters. And when that doesn't work, more direct action. (Did you catch the teachers strike in West Virginia. The strike was technically illegal, but they forced their lawmakers to negotiate.) ~Jordon