Other people's blood : U.S.immigration prisons in the Reagan decade

286 Pages·1996·41.857 MB·English

by  Robert S. Kahn

Other People's Blood

U.S. Immigration Prisons
in the Reagan Decade
ROBERT S. KAHN
New York London
For Jennifer, Carlos, Alex, and Cecilia
First published 1996 by Westview Press
Published 2018 by Routledge
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Copyright © 1996 Taylor & Francis
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Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for
identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Kahn, Robert S.
Other people's blood: U.S. immigration prisons in the Reagan
decade / Robert S. Kahn
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 0-8133-2445-9 (alk. paper). - ISBN 0-8133-2446-7 (pbk.: alk.
paper)
1. Refugees-Government policy-United States. 2. Immigrants-
Government policy-United States. 3. United States-Emigration and
immigration-Government policy. 4. Prisons-United States.
5. United States-Politics and government-1981-1989. I. Title.
JV6601.K35 1996
365'A-dc20 96-9119
CIP
This book was typeset by Letra Libre, 1705 Fourteenth Street, Suite 391, Boulder, CO 80302.
ISBN 13: 978-0-8133-2446-3 (pbk)
CONTENTS
Author's Note ix
Acknowledgments xi
INTRODUCTION 1
THE BORDER IS A THIRD COUNTRY 7
MURDER BY REMOTE CONTROL 29
THE CORRALON 51
WASHINGTON, D.C. 101
LAREDO 115
FLORENCE PRISON 135
OAKDALE 149
CHILDREN Of THE CONTRAS 179
BROWNSVILLE 187
OTHER PEOPLE'S BLOOD 233
Suggested Readings 247
About the Book and Author 255
Index 257
v

Researchers have already cast much darkness
on the subject, and if they continue their inves-
tigations we shall soon know nothing at all
about it.
-Mark Twain

AUTHOR'S NOTE
There are no composite scenes, interviews, or characters in this book.
Refugees who did not want to be identified have been given a name here
that mayor may not be their own. Thus, an interview with Jose in the
Laredo immigration prison was conducted at the time and place cited, but
the man's name may not have been Jose. All the refugees interviewed for
this book knew that the author was writing a book and consented that
their story be told. All people identified by full names have given permis-
sion for their use.
All articles cited from the Brownsville Herald, the Boston Globe, Na-
tional Catholic Reporter, the Baltimore Sun, and Newsday are by the au-
thor unless noted otherwise.
The lawsuits Orantes-Hernandez v. Smith, Orantes-Hernandez v. Meese,
and Orantes-Hernandez v. Thornburgh are one and the same case. The title
of the suit was amended to substitute the name of the new defendant. This
is also the case with American Baptist Churches v. Meese and American
Baptist Churches v. Thornburgh.
IX