Right Wing 'Extremist' Bails Husband Out of Jai...

By Andrew Stanton

Weekend Staff Writer

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A woman who said she is considered to be a right-wing “extremist” bailed her husband out of jail for smuggling migrants, she said during a recent interview on Financial Audit with Caleb Hammer.

Why It Matters

The podcast episode published last month touches on two political issues voters remain concerned about—the economy and immigration. Polls have found that Americans are worried about affordability and the cost of living due to inflation and the possibility that President Donald Trump’s tariffs could raise prices.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has continued to implement mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, an issue that remains divisive among Americans.

What to Know

Hammer interviews and audits the finances of guests who have found themselves in tricky financial situations, helping them break down their budgets. In a recent episode, he interviewed a 41-year-old woman from San Antonio, Texas. She is identified only as Stephanie and works as a swim instructor.

During the interview, she said most people would consider her and her husband to be “extremist right wing,” though she said she isn’t sure how extreme they actually are. While she and her husband “hate” illegal immigration, her husband suggested smuggling undocumented immigrants as a way to make some extra cash, she said.

She urged him not to go through with that plan. However, he was caught smuggling some migrants within Texas.

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“He felt like if I can just get this big chunk of money, this is going to make up for all this stuff. Like we need this, like this is going to help us set on the right foot. Like at the time he was just working like a janitor job at a church for like $10 an hour and he's like, if I could just get some money, like that's going to make up for so much and all this, these bad things that I've done,” she said, adding that he had dealt with substance abuse issues.

He was being held by law enforcement, awaiting trial, when he became ill, so she said she decided to post $1,200 bail to help him seek medical treatment. He was later sentenced in May, and his release is set for August 2026.

Hammer questioned why he would smuggle migrants given his disdain for illegal immigration, saying that “makes no sense.”

Her audit revealed $14,000 in medical debt, among other forms of debt, such as late fees on credit card payments. He advised her to get that medical debt on a minimum fee payment plan so that it is not sent to collections. She said they did not have insurance at the time—but do have it now. A Peterson-KFF foundation report from February 2024 found that roughly 20 million adults in the U.S. owe medical debt. Medical debt in the U.S. totaled at least $220 billion, according to the report.

She also discussed her views on Trump, saying she believes he is an “independent” and that “there's other people running the show besides him.”

What People Are Saying

One commentator responded to the podcast on YouTube: “Living off of parental and government assistance while being a ‘personal responsibility’ conservative. Being racist while having a black husband. And being anti illegal immigration but being a human trafficker is like ???”

Hammer responded on the podcast: “I'm sorry, I'm saying, you hate illegal immigrants, self-confessed, yet he got arrested for smuggling them, internally. This makes no sense and I'm confused. And now we're f***** because of that? That doesn't make sense. That’s like the most pro-life person offering abortions in their backroom. That doesn’t make any sense.”

What Happens Next

Hammer advised her to get a new, more stable career, advising her to start “grinding 40 hours a week at a job that is a consistent level income while working second and third jobs as well.”

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