In 1921 and 1924; the United States passed laws to sharply reduce the influx of immigrants into the country. By allocating only small quotas to the nations of southern and eastern Europe; and banning almost all immigration from Asia; the new laws were supposed to stem the tide of foreigners considered especially inferior and dangerous. However; immigrants continued to come; sailing into the port of New York with fake passports; or from Cuba to Florida; hidden in the holds of boats loaded with contraband liquor. Jews; one of the main targets of the quota laws; figured prominently in the new international underworld of illegal immigration. However; they ultimately managed to escape permanent association with the identity of the “illegal alien†in a way that other groups; such as Mexicans; thus far; have not. In After They Closed the Gates; Libby Garland tells the untold stories of the Jewish migrants and smugglers involved in that underworld; showing how such stories contributed to growing national anxieties about illegal immigration. Garland also helps us understand how Jews were linked to; and then unlinked from; the specter of illegal immigration. By tracing this complex history; Garland offers compelling insights into the contingent nature of citizenship; belonging; and Americanness.
#1262589 in Books 2014-03-28Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.10 x 6.00l; .0 #File Name: 022612245X312 pages
Review
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful. ExcellentBy A. A. M.Excellent historical study of war and immigration policy roles in the racialized project of nation building3 of 12 people found the following review helpful. This is not an empirical study. The author admits ...By MeirThis is not an empirical study. The author admits to having no hard data on the subject. This is book is an essay on how Jewish political power may have been used to shape immigration policy; but it utterly fails to document any actual pattern of illegal immigration. In particular; during the most critical period in modern Jewish history (the holocaust); this book actually proves that there was essentially no illegal Jewish immigration into the US by victims who were fleeing Nazi Europe.
