After moving legally to the U.S. and having to figure out how to navigate our immigration system, comedian and writer Felipe Torres Medina noticed that even his super smart American friends couldn’t understand the labyrinth he was navigating. “Just do it the right way,” people say all the time. But what does that even entail? For many there actually is no path. But for those who, like the author, can choose from the alphabet soup of visas, it’s a long and complex road. So Torres Medina decided to write a book that was helpful and informative on immigration laws but also humorous and light to “try and remove the weight around the subject of immigration.” 

Read the episode transcript here. 

The result is America Let Me In, a choose-your-own adventure book, like the ones many of us read in grade school, except this one breaks down the serpentine world of visas and legal migration—with a lot of laughs along the way. He spoke with Latino USA Producer Julieta Martinelli to discuss his decision to use humor to tackle a hefty and controversial topic, and why he thinks comedy matters more than ever as we face difficult times as a nation. 

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This story was produced by Julieta Martinelli. It was edited by Fernanda Echavarri. It was mixed by JJ Querubin. With production assistance from Diego Perdomo.

Featured image by Diego Perdomo.