Deportable and Disposable: Public Rhetoric and the Making of the "Illegal" Immigrant

The book "Deportable and Disposable" explores the history of our language about Mexican immigrants and how it has made them "illegal." It provides insight into the ways in which we racialize language and how we can transform our political rhetoric to ensure immigrant populations come to belong as part of the country.

Format: Hardback
Length: 236 pages
Publication date: 14 October 2020
Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press

In the 1920s, the United States government took a firm stance against unauthorized entry into the country, leading to the emergence of the term "illegal alien" in the national discourse. Lisa A. Flores delves into the historical roots of our language concerning Mexican immigrants, shedding light on how our words have perpetuated the notion of these individuals as "illegal." Deportable and Disposable employs a rhetorical lens to examine a critical question that has primarily occupied the minds of historians: how do diverse immigrant populations navigate their way into the national space of whiteness and consequently become part of Americanness? Flores offers a genealogy of our immigration discourse by exploring four stereotypes: the "illegal alien," a foreigner and criminal who swiftly became associated with Mexican migrants; the "bracero," a submissive Mexican contract laborer; the "zoot suiter," a delinquent Mexican American youth involved in gang culture; and the "wetback," an unwanted migrant who crossed the Rio Grande by swimming. Through her analysis, Flores provides valuable insights into the mechanisms by which language is racialized and offers strategies for transforming political rhetoric to foster inclusivity and belonging for immigrant populations within the United States.

Deportable and Disposable is a timely, insightful, and thought-provoking book that initiates a crucial conversation about the intersection of racial rhetoric and the literal and figurative boundaries of the nation. This powerful work will be of interest to policy makers, scholars, activists, and anyone else passionate about race, rhetoric, and immigration in the United States.

Weight: 514g
Dimension: 225 x 299 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780271087887