Boats, borders, and bases: race, the cold war, and the rise ofmigration detention in the United States

321 Pages·2018·83.643 MB·English

by  Loyd, Jenna M.;Mountz, Alison

Boats, Borders,
and Bases
Race, the Cold War, and the Rise
of Migration Detention in the
United States
Jenna M. Loyd and
Alison Mountz
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Boats, Borders, and Bases

Boats, Borders,
and Bases
Race, the Cold War, and the Rise
of Migration Detention in the
United States
Jenna M. Loyd and
Alison Mountz
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
University of California Press, one of the most distin-
guished university presses in the United States, enriches
lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the
humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its
activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and
by philanthropic contributions from individuals and
institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu.
University of California Press
Oakland, California
© 2018 by The Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Loyd, Jenna M., 1973– author. | Mountz,
Alison, author.
Title: Boats, borders, and bases : race, the cold war, and
the rise of migration detention in the United States /
Jenna M. Loyd and Alison Mountz.
Description: Oakland, California : University of
California Press, [2018] | Includes bibliographical
references and index. |
Identifi ers: lccn 2017044582 (print) | lccn 2017051141
(ebook) | isbn 9780520962965 (ebook) |
isbn 9780520287969 (cloth : alk. paper) |
isbn 9780520287976 (pbk. : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Alien detention centers—United States. |
Detention of persons—United States. | Illegal
aliens—Government policy—United States. |
Haiti—Emigration and immigration. | Cuba—Emigra-
tion and immigration. | Refugees—Caribbean
Area—Social conditions. | United States—Emigration
and immigration—Government policy. | United
States—Race relations—History.
Classifi cation: lcc kf4800 (ebook) | lcc kf4800 .l69
2018 (print) | ddc 365/.4—dc23
lc record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017044582
Manufactured in the United States of America
26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To the many organizations and people who have
survived, organized, and fought against the
violence of confi nement in detention and along
borders, and to the memory of those who lost
their lives trying

Contents
Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
Abbreviations xv
Introduction 1
PART ONE. RACE AND THE COLD WAR GEOPOLITICS
OF MIGRATION CONTROL
1. “America’s ‘Boat People’” 31
Cold War Geopolitics of Refuge
2. Militarizing Migration 54
The Politics of Asylum and Deterrence
PART TWO. BUILDING THE WORLD’S LARGEST DETENTION SYSTEM
3. “Not a Prison” 87
Building a Deportation Hub in Oakdale, Louisiana
4. “Uncle Sam Has a Long Arm” 117
War and the Making of Deterrent Landscapes
PART THREE. EXPANDING THE WORLD’S LARGEST
DETENTION SYSTEM
5. Safe Haven 147
The Creation of an Off shore Detention Archipelago
6. Onshore Expansion 175
Consolidating Deterrence through Criminalization
and Expulsion
7. Post-9/11 Policing 201
Back to the Future
Coda 220
Notes 237
References 265
Index 283
Illustrations
FIGURES
1. Army’s After Action Report, Operations New Life/
New Arrivals / 37
2. Resettlement planning on Guam / 39
3. Resettlement camp under Miami overpass during
Mariel Boatlift / 57
4. Ku Klux Klan protest outside Fort Chaff ee / 58
5. Ku Klux Klan protest signs outside Fort Chaff ee / 59
6. Children playing soccer at Krome / 75
7. Refugee rights protest outside of Krome / 76
8. U.S. Coast Guard cutter / 159
9. Rafters post-interception / 161
10. Girl jumping rope on Guantánamo / 170
11. Eloy, Arizona, detention facility / 196
12. Political cartoon, 2002, Miami Herald / 210
MAPS
1. Hysteria along the southern border / 9
2. Cayo Lobos / 32
3. Sites used and proposed for detention / 66
ix