Friday, March 18, 2011

Immigration Prisons

We know a lot more about the rest of the world, including human rights abuses, with the intense and increasing globalization of media coverage. But we should also be aware of what is going on here that may need to be changed. Books at APL look at what can happen when for profit detentions centers are created for undocumented immigrants - in places such as Hutto and Port Isabel in Texas and throughout the country.


A Death in Texas: Profits, Poverty, and Immigration Converge (written by Tom Barry)

NPR's Fresh Air - Interview with Tom Barry

Books:
Between the Fences: Before Guantanamo, There was the Port Isabel Service Processing Center
American Gulag: Inside U.S. Immigration Prisons
Detained: Immigrations Laws and the Expanding I.N.S. Jail Complex

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The immigration paper law in Arizona was supposed to be a creation of legislators and prison owners to create a constant supply of inmates in for-profit prisons as well. Not only is this morally reprehensible, but it takes away manpower from border issues such as violent drug dealers coming into Arizona and stealing from and beating up and killing ranchers in Arizona whose property borders Mexico.

Anonymous said...

I too had heard about the how politicians are doing the bidding of these for-profit immigration prisons to ensure a steady supply of inmates (men, women, AND children). This all strikes me as government sponsored human trafficing and is an utterly reprehensible activity for the United States to be engaging in.

tim snead said...

Curious: I read Empire of the Summer Moon that you recommended a few months ago. Excellent! I'll be sure to pick up A Death in Texas.

Aleph said...

And.. if you want to learn about some of the reasons that originated this exodus from Latin America, a good book to read is Harvest of Empire by Juan González.