Ana Raquel Minian is an associate professor in the Department of History. Minian received her Ph.D. in American studies from Yale University. At Stanford University, Minian offers classes on Latinx history, immigration, histories of incarceration and detention, and modern Mexican history.

Minian's second book, "In the Shadow of Liberty: The Invisible History of Immigrant Detention" (Viking Press, April 2024) reveals the history of the immigrant detention system from its inception in the 1800s to the present. Braiding together the vivid stories of four migrants seeking to escape the turmoil of their homelands for the promise of America, the book gives this history a human face, telling the dramatic story of a Central American asylum seeker, a Cuban exile, a European war bride and a Chinese refugee. As we travel alongside these indelible characters, "In the Shadow of Liberty" explores how sites of rightlessness have evolved, and what their existence has meant for our body politic. Though these “black sites” exist out of view for the average American, their reach extends into all of our lives: The explosive growth of the for-profit prison industry traces its origins to the immigrant detention system, as does the emergence of Guantanamo and the gradual unraveling of the right to bail and the presumption of innocence. Through these narratives, we see how the changing political climate surrounding immigration has played out in individual lives, and at what cost. But as these stories demonstrate, it doesn’t have to be like this, and a better way might be possible.

Please join us at Noon, Monday, Nov. 4 (the day before the federal election). This talk is part of the Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies’ new series “People on the Move,” hosted by the Migration Research Group, that looks at the role of private actors such as nonprofits and NGOs in migration.

Cosponsored by the Center for Latino and Latin American Studies, Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies, and the Undocumented Student Resource Center.