Constant headlines about deportations, detention camps, and border walls drive urgent debates about immigration and what it means to be an American in the twenty-first century. The Deportation Machine traces the long and troubling history of the US government’s systematic efforts to terrorize and expel immigrants over the past 140 years. This provocative, eye-opening book provides needed historical perspective on one of the most pressing social and political issues of our time.
In a sweeping and engaging narrative, Adam Goodman examines how federal, state, and local officials have targeted various groups for expulsion, from Chinese and Europeans at the turn of the twentieth century to Central Americans and Muslims today. He reveals how authorities have singled out Mexicans, nine out of ten of all deportees, and removed most of them not by orders of immigration judges but through coercive administrative procedures and calculated fear campaigns. Goodman uncovers the machine’s three primary mechanisms—formal deportations, “voluntary” departures, and self-deportations—and examines how public officials have used them to purge immigrants from the country and exert control over those who remain. Exposing the pervasive roots of anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States, The Deportation Machine introduces the politicians, bureaucrats, businesspeople, and ordinary citizens who have pushed for and profited from expulsion.
This revelatory book chronicles the devastating human costs of deportation and the innovative strategies people have adopted to fight against the machine and redefine belonging in ways that transcend citizenship.
Awards and Recognition
- Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in History
- Winner of the Henry Adams Book Prize, Society for History in the Federal Government
- Winner of the PROSE Award in North American History, Association of American Publishers
- Honorable Mention for the Theodore Saloutos Book Award, Immigration and Ethnic History Society
- Finalist for the Shapiro Book Prize, The Shapiro Center for American History and Culture at The Huntington
Adam Goodman teaches in the Department of History and the Latin American and Latino Studies Program at the University of Illinois Chicago. Twitter @adamsigoodman
"Drawing on interviews and oral histories, meticulous research in more than twenty archives, and old-fashioned detective work, Adam Goodman offers a beautifully written and comprehensive history of US deportation policies. This book is a must-read, not just for students, scholars, and policymakers, but for all engaged citizens who want a fuller recounting of our national past."—María Cristina García, author of The Refugee Challenge in Post–Cold War America
"Among the many books trying to make sense of the current moment, this one stands out. Goodman describes a machine that, for more than a century, would go of itself, put in perpetual motion by a toxic combination of racist ideology, vigilante impunity, and bureaucratic momentum. This impressively researched and sharply argued book is essential reading."—Greg Grandin, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America
"A brilliant historical analysis of the business dimensions of global labor migration and the apprehension, warehousing, and removal of immigrants deemed 'illegal' by those in authority. One of those rare studies that manages to grapple seriously and learnedly with one of the huge and pressing social issues currently facing humanity. Incisive, readable, and deeply engaging."—David G. Gutiérrez, author of Walls and Mirrors: Mexican Americans, Mexican Immigrants, and the Politics of Ethnicity
"With a sharp historical eye and a masterful command of the archival material, Goodman reveals the vast mechanisms of state power to expel unwanted populations, of which formal deportations comprise only a small portion. This superbly researched, eminently engaging book is indispensable reading for understanding the architecture of immigration enforcement today."—Cecilia Menjívar, author of Enduring Violence: Ladina Women's Lives in Guatemala
"Most books about deportation focus on formal proceedings conducted by the government. Adam Goodman widens the scope to consider 'voluntary' departures and self-deportations, which are far greater in number and no less part of the state's deportation machinery. A must-read for all those who care about the reach of state authority and its consequences for immigrants and citizens alike."—Mae Ngai, author of Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America
