Illegal, Elizabeth F. Cohen
Illegal, Elizabeth F. Cohen
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Illegal
How America's Lawless Immigration Regime Threatens Us All

Author: Elizabeth F. Cohen

Narrator: Ginger White

Unabridged: 7 hr 26 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Basic Books

Published: 01/28/2020

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

A political scientist explains how the American immigration system ran off the rails -- and proposes a bold plan for reform

Under the Trump administration, US immigration agencies terrorize the undocumented, target people who are here legally, and even threaten the constitutional rights of American citizens. How did we get to this point?

In Illegal, Elizabeth F. Cohen reveals that our current crisis has roots in early twentieth century white nationalist politics, which began to reemerge in the 1980s. Since then, ICE and CBP have acquired bigger budgets and more power than any other law enforcement agency. Now, Trump has unleashed them. If we want to reverse the rising tide of abuse, Cohen argues that we must act quickly to rein in the powers of the current immigration regime and revive saner approaches based on existing law. Going beyond the headlines, Illegal makes clear that if we don't act now all of us, citizen and not, are at risk.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Cate

It’s INSANE how we are literally indoctrinated with dehumanizing, anti-immigrant rhetoric in the United States from the get-go. The message of this book so important. “Whatever one thinks about unauthorized immigration, a system that fails to ensure basic due process for people ensnared in immigrati......more

Goodreads review by Joshua

Thorough and in-depth exploration of the state of the US immigration system and how we got there.......more

Goodreads review by Dylan

The purpose of this book is purely educative, and it certainly read like a textbook or part of a syllabus. But I still enjoyed it, Cohen writes very straightforward and bluntly, and I felt able to retain this book well.......more

Goodreads review by Rick

Dr. Cohen has written a book that provides a succinct history of the United States' race-based immigration practices, and the abuses of those who have enforced it. More worrisome from this books are the dangers of humanitarian crises inside and outside the USA, and how CBP and ICE have even focused......more

Goodreads review by Paul

Smart, unflinching, and relevant. Cohen delivers an excellent overview of how America came to classify some immigrants as illegal, and how racist ideas coupled with government power created a lawless zone of abusive law enforcement that now threatens all of our liberties.......more


Quotes

"A concise but unflinching look at the barbaric state of immigration in America...The author is a sharp examiner of the relevant data and research, and she is shrewd enough not to drown in the political quicksand surrounding immigration. However, she doesn't shy away from controversy, exploring the dangers of white nationalism and taking into account the pragmatic reasons to formulate a fair immigration policy that doesn't prostrate itself before communal fear...An even-keeled examination."—Kirkus

"Cohen draws on a wealth of historical evidence to present her dire portrait of America's immigration system, and her commonsense solutions feel both necessary and attainable...[A] trenchant call to action."—Publishers Weekly

"A timely and unsparing account of how our immigration enforcement regime has 'gone off the rails'. Cohen shows that we had a system we could have built upon that was far less brutal to immigrants and more representative of democratic values. But instead, for political reasons as diverse as 9/11 and the steady beat of xenophobia, we abandoned it. Is there a way forward? In a clear and compelling statement Cohen shows us that our democracy is in danger, what must change, and how to make change happen. An urgent and powerful book."—Janelle Wong, University of Maryland, CollegePark

"A fascinating dive into our country's lawless immigration enforcement regime and how it developed."—Alex Nowrasteh, the Cato Institute