Bans, Walls, Raids, Sanctuary: Understanding U.S. Immigration for the Twenty-First Century

American Studies Now: Critical Histories of the Present

by A. Naomi Paik

Days after taking the White House, Donald Trump signed three executive orders—these authorized the Muslim Ban, the border wall, and ICE raids. These orders would define his administration’s approach toward noncitizens. An essential primer on how we got here, Bans, Walls, Raids, Sanctuary shows that such barriers to immigration are embedded in the very foundation of the United States. A. Naomi Paik reveals that the forty-fifth president’s xenophobic, racist, ableist, patriarchal ascendancy is no aberration, but the consequence of two centuries of U.S. political, economic, and social culture. She deftly demonstrates that attacks against migrants are tightly bound to assaults against women, people of color, workers, ill and disabled people, and queer and gender nonconforming people. Against this history of barriers and assaults, Bans, Walls, Raids, Sanctuary mounts a rallying cry for a broad-based, abolitionist sanctuary movement for all.

Genres: Nonfiction, Immigration, Politics, Race, School, History, Academic

184 pages, Hardcover

Published May 26, 2020

About the author

A. Naomi Paik is Associate Professor of Asian American Studies at University of Illinois and the author of Rightlessness: Testimony and Redress in U.S. Prison Camps since World War II.

Reviews

[jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

a really wonderful, extremely readable history that grounds contemporary technologies of xenophobia in their foundational antecedents. naomi paik never loses sight of historical and contemporary organizing against policing and deportation, and proposes an "abolitionist sanctuary" that combines sanctuary's defensive logic with abolition's transformative one, and emphasizes both movements' shared commitments to caring for each other. the conclusion is also a great discussion of migrant justice movements in relation to indigenous nationhood/sovereignty!

[Jimgosailing · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I was initially going to rate this book lower than I have, but then I realized it was only because of my background that I already knew a lot (but not all) of the historical information provided here; but it took about two-thirds or more in the way in when Paik began to discuss the concept of “abolition sanctuary” in detail, offering various solutions (not just knee jerk abolish ICE) and his some organizations are putting ideas into practice, that raised my assessment of this book. But I did find the structure of the book to be somewhat. I don’t know academic? They were kind of like introductions to each section and then conclusions to each section that to me just seem to be term paperish since the ideas were then restate it within the chapter and then restate it yet again, and a conclusion to the chapter seemed like padding.

And I’m f***cking pissed at Goodreads for yet again erasing all my previous notes on this book. What a sh*t piece of software.

.
“Central to slavery's abolition was the thorough rebuilding of society into what W. E.B. Dubois (echoed seven decades later by Angela Davis) called an abolition democracy. This kind of democracy requires the creation of new structures for economic redistribution, political empowerment, and social equality. As Davis argues, abolition democracy "is not only, or not even pri-marily, about abolition as a negative process of tearing down, but it is also about building up, about creating new institu-tions." So, while the United States partly abolished slavery in the mid-nineteenth century (except as punishment for a crime), it failed to reconstruct society.

“More important, however, is the process of creating the society we want one in which we refuse to solve problems by resorting to violence and refused to create (illusions of) safety for some by violating others.
Combining abolition and sanctuary for immigrant justice today requires dismantling institutions of power that subjugate immigrant communities..

… there was another section, which got erased, which I can’t find now, but Paik discussing the increasing militarization of ICE and CBP, tying this in part back to when they were broken apart from INS in the creation of DHS. So I find it interesting separating the staff from ICE and CBP from USCIS had the effect of siloing stop from those agencies from one another and ceasing any cross pollination between them. Interesting to know also at some point in the past recent years, HSI wanted to become separate from ICE, probably for the same reasons.

[Roselyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book over the past couple of months as I continue to learn about the politics of immigration and particularly how it impacts the education of children.

This is another necessary resource book for any abolitionist, activist , or otherwise revolutionary to have in their library.
I gained in depth knowledge into the specifics of violent and oppressive system that is capitalism, imperialism, racism and contemporary immigration politics.

Paik’s last chapter about sanctuary i think will stay with me for a long time. it echoes the sentiments of Angela Davis and Mariame Kaba when it highlights the need to create a world of sanctuary “where no one, regardless of citizenship status, criminal record, poverty, ability, or any other factor, is discarded as unworthy of economic means, affirming social relationships, or political power” (52). Paik pushes us to ask ourselves just how far our activism reaches, and what we are comfortable doing. She advocates for what she calls “abolitionist sanctuary”, describes what this might look like, and most importantly, places it within our reach. Abolition is not something unimaginable, unobtainable, or impossible. It only works if we do.

So much to think about, so much to do here.

Really amazing and educational read. 5/5 stars

[danean · Rating 5 out of 5]

"...the predicaments we are confronting long predated, and will also long outlast, the current regime. Whoever takes a position of power like the presidency impacts the conditions of resistance. But regardless of who seizes office, organizing must go on. To reiterate, there is no waiting it out. The existing infrastructure—the rhetoric, the laws, manpower, funding streams, and technological innovations—will remain beyond Trump's tenure in office. We will still have to confront the enduring, seemingly intractable problems of bans, walls, and raids, while working to build a future we want" (Paik, p. 131).

Written during Trump's first term yet still entirely too relevant to our present conditions. An absolute necessary and critical read in this moment in time. Phenomenal introduction into U.S. immigration policy and history developed under settler colonialism, white supremacy, and ideologies of exclusion and oppression.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, brief synthesis of some key ideas - how rooted (and not purely trump-y) immigration restrictions and nativism are: from the artifice of criminalizing the presence of certain Others, comes the “need” for walls to secure the border, the “need” for all kinds of interior enforcement. All of which can be countered, at least to some degree, through a marriage of sanctuary and transformative abolitionist thinking (with some beautiful centering of indigenous resistance movements, too). Inspiring and accessible.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

The discussion on creating sovereignty and the citizen via the control and gatekeeping of "spaces" (real or imagined) was quite interesting. I want to do some additional research on the topic. If you enjoyed reading this, I would suggest reading "Building Bridges Not Walls" by Todd Miller.

I didn't find the book incredibly groundbreaking or particularly illuminating. So if you're looking for something incredibly novel, you will likely not enjoy this.

[Matty B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful and brief understanding of the continuing legacy of anti-immigrant sentiment in U.S. policy and enforcement. Would recommend to any who want to learn more and get some quick action points on where we go from here, developing a politics of sanctuary

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book I've been looking for because it centers Indigenous sovereignty in its discussion of anti-immigrant nativism in the US. Really excellent.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really good concept from a scholar I admire. This short text is a good, quick synthesis of the topic—I was hoping for more new ideas to think with.

[Zach]

Read for school

[Molly Zupan · Rating 5 out of 5]

more important than any and every american high school history text book

[Allison Werth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was assigned for a Sociology class, and I found it VERY informative and eye opening.

[Shawn Denegre-Vaught · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little radical, but honestly loved it. It made me think about the possibilities of the future of this country regarding immigration and I learned a lot :)

[nokomis · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyed reading this for my sociology of immigration course! very informative with current events.

[Saran Baran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tarih dersimiz sağolsun okuyoruz ne diyelim

[Julia Stern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps the most informational book about US history that I have ever read. Fantastic read. everyone needs this especially right now.

[katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"In no other realm of our national life are we as hampered and stultified by the dead hand of the past, as we are in this field of immigration." - Harry Truman