Threat of Dissent: A History of Ideological Exclusion and Deportation in the United States

The book "Threat of Dissent" explores how the United States has used laws to bar or expel foreigners based on their beliefs and associations, from the War on Anarchy to the War on Terror. It follows the cases of foreign-born activists and artists, civil rights lawyers, and how the ACLU and PEN challenged the constitutionality of exclusions and deportations.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 21 March 2023
Publisher: Harvard University Press

“Suspicion of foreigners goes back to the earliest days of the republic, with laws such as the Alien Friends Act of 1798 barring or expelling foreigners based on their beliefs and associations. From the War on Anarchy to the War on Terror, the government repeatedly turns to ideological exclusions and deportations to suppress radicalism and dissent. Threat of Dissent delves into major legislation and court decisions at the intersection of immigration and the First Amendment without losing sight of the people involved. We follow the cases of foreign-born activists and artists such as Emma Goldman and Carlos Fuentes, meet determined civil rights lawyers like Carol Weiss King, and discover how the ACLU and PEN challenged the constitutionality of exclusions and deportations. While sensitively capturing the particular legal vulnerability of foreigners, Julia Rose Kraut reminds us that deportations are not just a tool of political repression but a deliberate instrument of demagogic gr.

Beginning with the Alien Friends Act of 1798, the United States has passed laws in the name of national security to bar or expel foreigners based on their beliefs and associations. From the War on Anarchy to the War on Terror, the government repeatedly turns to ideological exclusions and deportations to suppress radicalism and dissent. Threat of Dissent delves into major legislation and court decisions at the intersection of immigration and the First Amendment without losing sight of the people involved. We follow the cases of foreign-born activists and artists such as Emma Goldman and Carlos Fuentes, meet determined civil rights lawyers like Carol Weiss King, and discover how the ACLU and PEN challenged the constitutionality of exclusions and deportations. While sensitively capturing the particular legal vulnerability of foreigners, Julia Rose Kraut reminds us that deportations are not just a tool of political repression but a deliberate instrument of demagogic gr.

The Alien Friends Act of 1798 was a significant milestone in the history of American immigration law, as it marked the first time the United States government had the authority to bar or expel foreigners based on their beliefs and associations. The Act was passed in response to the growing fear of foreign influence in American politics, particularly during the French Revolution. The Act prohibited any foreigner who was considered a threat to the security of the United States from entering the country, and it also authorized the government to deport any foreigner who was already in the country.

The Act was widely criticized by civil libertarians and human rights activists, who argued that it violated the First Amendment right to free speech and the Fifth Amendment right to due process of law. In 1892, the Supreme Court struck down the Alien Friends Act in the case of United States v. Wong Kim Ark. The Court held that the Act violated the First Amendment because it was based on the government's fear of foreign influence, rather than any actual evidence of harm.

Despite the Supreme Court's ruling, the government continued to use ideological exclusions and deportations to suppress radicalism and dissent. During the War on Anarchy, the government targeted anarchists and other left-wing activists, and it used the Espionage Act of 1917 to prosecute them for sedition. During the War on Terror, the government targeted Muslims and other religious minorities, and it used the Patriot Act of 2001 to expand its powers of surveillance and detention.

Threat of Dissent is a comprehensive history of one of the most pervasive and insidious forms of political repression in the United States—one few Americans know anything about. The book delves into major legislation and court decisions at the intersection of immigration and the First Amendment without losing sight of the people involved. The book follows the cases of foreign-born activists and artists such as Emma Goldman and Carlos Fuentes, meets determined civil rights lawyers like Carol Weiss King, and discovers how the ACLU and PEN challenged the constitutionality of exclusions and deportations.

While sensitively capturing the particular legal vulnerability of foreigners, the book also reminds us that deportations are not just a tool of political repression but a deliberate instrument of demagogic gr. The book argues that the government's use of ideological exclusions and deportations is not only a threat to the rights of foreign-born activists and artists, but it is also a threat to the rights of all Americans. The book calls for a more nuanced and empathetic approach to immigration policy, one that recognizes the importance of protecting the rights of all individuals, regardless of their nationality or immigration status.”

Dimension: 235 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780674292352