What happens to migrants after they are deported from the U.S., dropped off at the Mexican border, and forced to travel often hundreds if not thousands of miles away from their hometowns? In this eye-opening work showcasing the voices and experiences of deportees, Jeremy Slack shines the light on how Mexican migrants have become targets of extreme forms of violence, including, and most shockingly, being massacred upon their return to Mexico.
Navigating the complex world of the border, Jeremy Slack delves into how the high profile drug war has led to over 200,000 deaths in Mexico, many of whom are deportees struggling to find safety. As many are stranded on unfamiliar streets and cities, vulnerable to police and drug cartels, the deportees illustrate how bodies in movement and bodies out of place are used as fodder at the hands of organized crime during a brutal drug war. By challenging readers to walk in migrants' shoes, the book illustrates the complex decisions migrants make about whether to attempt the brutal return crossing to Mexico or face increasingly harsh punishments from U.S. authorities. Like no other book before it, Deported to Death reshapes debates on the long-term impact of border enforcement and sheds light on dangers that Mexican deportees must face, either in their homeland or abroad.
