"In his scathing and deeply reported examination of the US Border
Patrol, Todd Miller argues that the agency has gone rogue since the
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, trampling on the dignity and rights of the
undocumented with military-style tactics....Miller's book arrives at a
moment when it appears that part of the Homeland Security apparatus is
backpedaling by promising to tone down its tactics, maybe prodded by
investigative journalism, maybe by the revelations of NSA leaker Edward
Snowden.... Border Patrol is quite possibly the right book at the
right time...." (Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times)
"At the start of his unsettling and important new book, Border Patrol
Nation, Miller observes that these days 'it is common to see the Border
Patrol in places - such as Erie, Pennsylvania; Rochester, New York; or
Forks, Washington - where only 15 years ago it would have seemed
far-fetched, if not unfathomable." (Barbara Spindel, Christian Science
Monitor)
"Miller's approach in Border Patrol Nation is to offer a glimpse into
the secretive operations of the Border Patrol, reporting with a
journalist's objectivity and nose for a good story. Miller's book is
full of facts, and it's clear he's outraged, but he gives voices to
people on every side of the issue ... Miller's book is a fascinating
read...and bring the work of Susan Orlean to mind." (Amanda Eyre Ward,
Kirkus Reviews)
Armed authorities watch from a military-grade surveillance tower as
lines of people stream toward the security checkpoint, tickets in hand,
anxious and excited to get through the gate. Few seem to notice or care
that the US Border Patrol is monitoring the Super Bowl, as they have for
years, one of the many ways that forces created to police the borders
are now being used, in an increasingly militarized fashion, to survey
and monitor the whole of American society.
In fast-paced prose, Todd Miller sounds an alarm as he chronicles the
changing landscape. Traveling the country - and beyond - to speak with
the people most involved with and impacted by the Border Patrol, he
combines these first-hand encounters with careful research to expose a
vast and booming industry for high-end technology, weapons,
surveillance, and prisons. While politicians and corporations reap
substantial profits, the experiences of millions of men, women, and
children point to staggering humanitarian consequences. Border Patrol
Nation shows us in stark relief how the entire country has become a
militarized border zone, with consequences that affect us all.
