In the Shadow of Liberty: The Invisible History of Immigrant Detention in the United States

by Ana Raquel Minian

A probing work of narrative history that reveals the hidden story of immigrant detention in the United States, deepening urgent national conversations around migration.

In 2018, many Americans watched in horror as children were torn from their parents at the US-Mexico border under Trump's "family separation" policy. But as historian Ana Raquel Minian reveals in In the Shadow of Liberty , this was only the latest chapter in a saga tracing back to the 1800s—one in which immigrants to the United States have been held without recourse to their constitutional rights. Braiding together the vivid stories of four migrants seeking to escape the turmoil of their homelands for the promise of America, In the Shadow of Liberty gives this history a human face, telling the dramatic story of a Central American asylum seeker, a Cuban exile, a European war bride, and a Chinese refugee.

As we travel alongside these indelible characters, In the Shadow of Liberty explores how sites of rightlessness have evolved, and what their existence has meant for our body politic. Though these "black sites" exist out of view for the average American, their reach extends into all of our the explosive growth of the for-profit prison industry traces its origins to the immigrant detention system, as does the emergence of Guantanamo and the gradual unraveling of the right to bail and the presumption of innocence. Through these narratives, we see how the changing political climate surrounding immigration has played out in individual lives, and at what cost. But as these stories demonstrate, it doesn't have to be like this, and a better way might be possible.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, American, Social Justice, Audiobook, Legal

384 pages, Hardcover

First published April 16, 2024

Reviews

[Wouter van der Hoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika Ik haat Amerika

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to a podcast interview that Sharon MacMahon did with the author of this book and was so impressed with the depth and scope of her research that I immediately got the book and began reading it. The author does a brilliant job of weaving the individual stories of immigrants from different eras and areas of the world with the ever evolving/devolving process of seeking asylum in the United States. Presenting case studies, court cases, changes in policy and legislation, it becomes clear that the average American’s view that we are a country that treats immigrants with humanity, justice, and adherence to the laws, rights, and freedoms we claim to hold dear is misguided and uninformed at best, and a perpetration of abuse, prejudice, torture, and callous disregard for fellow human beings at worst. I was shocked and sickened by what I’ve learned from this book and deeply ashamed of our hypocrisy in claiming to be a “christian nation”. The manner in which far too many immigrants have been treated for far too many years is nothing short of monstrous. I was encouraged to see that the author provided a list of organizations doing the truly godly work of providing help to those seeking asylum for next steps in being part of the solution to this ongoing inhumane treatment of those, who like all of our own ancestors once did, immigrate to America in search of a better life for themselves and their families.

[Carol Kearns · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an examination of how immigration has been handled in the United States from the turn of the 20th century to the present. Rather that being a dry opinion piece, it has the stories of four main characters that left their home countries—China (late 1800’s), Germany (after WW2), Cuba (late 1970’s), and Guatemala (2017). Their stories, as well as brief stories of other immigrants (Haiti, among others), and how the hysterias of the times affected their treatments is very interesting. The author does not let either political party off the hook when it comes to their administration’s handling of refugees—both political parties have made huge mistakes through the years that negatively impacted so many families. The intertwining of the nation’s penal system with the detention of immigrants is explained and, naturally, the movement toward profit-making corporate prisons and detention centers. I listened to the Audible edition of this book and it is excellent! Using different narrators for each main character made it even more interesting.

[Jennifer Olsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Land of the free, home of the... Detained?

There is so much in the realm of immigration that is just pushed under the proverbial table and never brought to light. We may see a bit here and there and, of course, everyone (most people...) will say that they don't agree with certain policies or actions, but 'what can we do?' However, when immigrant detention is approached as an isolated subject, it is ghastly and absolutely atrocious.

It is saddening and, I think, embarrassing the way the US as a nation treats those who have come seeking asylum and a better life. Many say 'well they should just come legally.' I urge those people to actually look into how difficult it is to obtain a TOURIST VISA to the US for someone from an 'undesirable' country let alone permission to stay and work. Second, there are many people, literally thousands, who DO come in the legal way seeking asylum and even still they are not granted proper rights due to the 'entry fiction,' which the author mentions and explains extensively.

I wish everyone would read this book, but as with many hot topics, the people who really should read it most likely won't.

Either way, I urge my fellow Americans both in the country & those living abroad, to read this book. Wake up. Let's raise the international standard for immigrant care rather than continuously lowering it.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. I found myself almost unable to read the chapter on the current situation at the border. It is a blight on all of us that as Minian writes, “Every day in the heart of the self-described ‘greatest democracy on earth,'people are incarcerated without charges for indefinite periods of time, under horrific conditions and without basic constitutional protections.” These are not criminals and incarcerating them does not make people safer. In fact, this policy causes intergenerational trauma for no real reason.

For example, I learned that the Mariel boat refugees were not criminals just released from prison. Of the 26,000 Cuban emigrants arriving in Florida 2000 had felony records. The rest had committed offenses such as being homosexual, or making purchases on the black market. The system of creating fear of dangerous criminals coming to our borders is long.

This book will make you sad, angry and better informed.

[Suzanne Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An historical look at immigration and various policies that are truly awful, like entry fiction (meaning asylum seekers "had never actually entered the country" and "could be held at detention centers indefinetly without basic constitutional rights").

The history of Guantonomo Bay, first used with Haitian refugees in the first Bush administration, and other issues like for profit prisons being used for asylum seekers are addressed as well.

The crux of the book follows 4 asylum seekers from different eras. This reminded me of Alan Gratz's excellent book, "Refugee" A young adult book that highlights 3 fictional refugees from different eras.

This non-fiction work is intense and depressing. The inability of humans to see other humans as fully human is our worst trait. The use of laws and profits to debase other humans is utterly unfathomable, but is factual.

[Cassie C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a well written and comprehensive look at the immigration system here in the United States, specifically the way in which this country detains immigrants and refugees using the entry fiction. I found it so powerful how the book followed the stories of specific people over the course of more than a century to demonstrate how things have developed and deteriorated over time. It was maddening to read about the horrible things that people seeking refugee status had to endure, as well as how the detainment of these refugees fed into the creation of the privatized prison system. This book highlights so clearly the way in which this country needs to do better in its treatment of immigrants.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a page-turner. It will make you sad, it will hopefully make you angry, and along the way, you will learn about the twists and turns of immigration detention and the legal doctrine of the entry fiction that allows immigrants to be held without charge. Trump's family separation policy was part of a much broader history of immigration detention. What I liked most about the book was the focus on four people's stories—a Chinese migrant who landed in the Bay Area in the 1890s (Fu Chi), a German war bride from the 1940s (Ellen), a Cuban Marielito from the 1980s (Gerardo), and a Guatemalan man from the 2020s (Fernando). The book is an accessible page-turner. Highly recommended.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a giveaway! Overall a gripping and poignant read about the injustices faced by immigrants detained in America. Four stars because the book repeats some points, perhaps because it jumps between the timelines of four asylum seekers, and occasionally goes off on tangents rather than focus on its main subjects. That said, the story of each person pulled me in and the book makes a compelling case against the cruel practice of immigrant detention.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because this work of non fiction is so heavy, I told myself I would do one hour a day.
But then these individual stories suck me in!
Rather than burying the reader in data and facts and laws, she pulls out one story and tells it. Then another migrant’s story. Law, history, data, and then story. The personal.
One story at a time means page after page of heartbreak.
For profit prisons are the worst!

[Martha Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

My takeaway quote: "In 1981, the Reagan administration resolved to change course: it would reintroduce detention. It would also mutate its goal. Up to that point, detention had been conceived as a holding place for migrants pending deportation and other proceedings; now it was also understood as an intimidation tactic designed to discourage foreigners from migrating to the United States."

[Kirk Astroth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am embarrassed to be a citizen of the country profiled in this book that purports to be ruled by law, a sense of human rights, and liberty. Horrible stories. I must do something on the eve of another Trump administration focused on deportation and imprisonment. For-profit jails is one of the worst ideas ever conceived.

[M Shomaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting look at immigration and immigration detention in the US through the stories of different individuals. Focuses on immigration from Asia at the turn of the 20th century, Europe after WWII, and Central America beginning in the 1980s. Well-written, compelling, and page-turning.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important aspect of this book is that it addresses serious problems and recommends possible solutions. The experiences of these 4 families are heartbreaking. Atrocities have been committed by radical conservative and liberal leaders alike. We must do better.

[Ian Cressman]

This was one of my favorite books of the semester narratively. Definitely reads like a novel and weaves together a series of stories from across time and space, which I thought was quite interesting and well done. Makes me want to become an immigration lawyer.

[Edward ott · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent historical look at our bizarre immigration laws

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, important history - a must-read.

[Raleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!! Very much an eye opening read regarding the American government with how it treats, and fails, immigrant families seeking asylum.

[Mike Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

[Cat Fithian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real stories of detainees throughout American History, exploring the politics around treatment and decisions.

[Alicia Meschke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devastating and eye opening.

[Shad · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave it 2 stars - 2/2.5 for the one side it covered, and 0/2.5 for the side it ignored.

[Joseph Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Do you want to understand immigration policy from 1850 in the US to current times thru personal stories, this is it. Comprehensive. No detail spared. Very good

[Andrea Helman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly researched book that is well written. Ana does a good job of sharing information along with the storytelling.

[Lindzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

We haven’t handled immigration well from the start. A fascinating read and worth reading to understand how this has affected groups of people.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely critical background to the current indefensible situation in the US.

[F. Belanger · Rating 1 out of 5]

When she discusses Barack Obama show only talks about him and "Gitmo". No mention of his gun smuggling into Mexico. Or the murder of American Border agent Brian Terry by an Obama-smuggled gun.

[Amira]

Very well written and compelling. Extremely relevant to today’s political climate and a book everyone should read.

[N · Rating 5 out of 5]

With immigration becoming such an important issue in this election, this book is a must-read. Through compelling narratives, Minian provides the reader with a well-documented and insightful exploration of the US immigration system, and the lives of immigrants.

This book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the complexities of freedom in the context of America's past and its enduring impact on the present.

[Alyssa Cruz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thoughtful and thorough. I appreciated the variety of voices and perspectives.