Pecheco and krauss delve into thecomplex history of the border patrol, from its cowboy origins in 1904 to the changes in its procedures since september 11th, and explain the sworn duty of its agents to protect the u. Born in 1911 in louisiana, he served for over 30 years with the u. The line becomes a river hardcover by francisco cantu is a very emotional book. A different perspective on the border the new york times. The best books about the united states and mexico border. Francisco cantu on the reality and unreality of borders. This book should be a must read for anyone considering a career in. What border patrol agents think about immigration policy. The bottom line is that as a former agent, i lose sleep at night knowing what i know. On the line has never been more topical in light of the new legislation president bush is currently attempting to push through regarding illegal immigrants from mexicoand the border patrols vehement objections to it. Feb 27, 2018 the line becomes a river dispatches from the border by francisco cantu 250 pp.
Don jagger is a border patrol deputy chief who is a troubleshooter from to various locations. When francisco cantu started touring to promote his new book, the line becomes a river. Last year, upon his retirement, the salty former law enforcement agent published a sprawling, 525page account of his career and assessment of the failures of current u. Feb 08, 2018 the line becomes a river is caught halfway between memoir and tone poem, as cantu offers snapshots of his life in and around the border patrol. United states department of homeland security customs and. The idea first occurred to me in 2012, when i was on the west coast of puerto rico, on a research trip for my book border patrol nation. The guy of the story, his mother was a ranger and he grew up loving the outdoors and near the border. Reyes gathers all of his border patrol agents, 400 border patrol agents, from all over his sector. A former fulbright fellow, he is the recipient of a pushcart prize, a 2017 whiting award, and a 2018 art for justice fellowship.
Francisco cantu was an agent for the united states border patrol from 2008 to 2012, working in the deserts of arizona, new mexico, and texas. In a days work, agents may catch a load of narcotics, apprehend groups of people entering the country illegally, and intercept a potential terrorist. On the line is a gripping history of the border patrol that erases the myths and misconceptions about one of the most misunderstood agencies in the u. Dispatches from the border was chosen as uclas 20182019 common book in july. It also goes into some of the problems and challenges facing border patrol agents everyday. Department of labor assigned to prevent illegal entries primarily along the mexicounited states border, as well as the canadau. The book takes a sharp look at different aspects of the us border patrol, to demonstrate how the bp acts with impunity, without constitutional accountability and outside the miller documents bizarrely sadistic and arbitrary border policing incidents, and through his research and breadth of interviews is able to connect it to highlevel bp.
While politicians and pundits endlessly debate immigration policy, u. The usbp is the armed and uniformed federal police that secure the borders of the united states by detecting and preventing illegal aliens, terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the united states, and. Border patrol details its intricate history while providing insider. An autobiographical story told in first person and covering a roughly 10 year period from the authors college graduation with a political science degree through and beyond his four year stint in the u. William henry bill jordan 19111997 was an american lawman, united states marine and author biography. The line becomes a river provides a rare window into that world, but cantu also attempts to go deeper, reflecting on the border itself and the cliched narratives that surround the region. Those that choose to stay in do so only because of the comparatively worse off agencies in dhs.
This book should clear up what it feels like to patrol the border and give the reader a real sense of the people who do this work. A new memoir addresses americas cruelest immigration. Border patrol agent stands for a photograph while keeping watch along the u. An exborder patrol cop has become a media darling and. The best book on immigration you will read this year comes from a former border patrol agent francisco cantus the line becomes a river is honest, gripping, and wonderfully written. If you are looking for a book that goes into the history of the border patrol. Two days later, the labor appropriation act of 1924 established the border patrol as an agency of the u. Dispatches from the border, published by riverhead books, presents a firstperson narrative by author and former border patrol agent francisco cantu. The line becomes a river chronicles life in the border patrol francisco cantus new book about his years in the border patrol combines brutal personal reminiscences with detached academic. The reapers line examines drug smuggling, immigration, corruption, vigilantism, and a host of other border issues in frank, colloquial language thats as. The national origins act authorized the formation of the u. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel. May 19, 2018 his book recounts incidents of border patrol agents with mr. He says, in his experience, no matter what obstacle we put at the border, its going to be subverted.
Photojournalist explores border stories from every angle. Looking to donate to the border patrol museum through cfc. Border patrol publication holding the line in the 21st century, a trilogy of articles that outline the evolution of the border patrols bordersecurity mission and strategy to achieve its goals. Feb 12, 2018 writer francisco cantu, author of the new narrative nonfiction book, the line becomes a river. His memoir is concerned with cataloging his time as an enforcer while also confronting. His assignments take him from the florida everglades to washington logging camps in this syndicated series. The line becomes a river is partmemoir, partreportage, partother genres based on cantus personal experience with the border patrol. Border patrol american crossroads book 29 by kelly lytle hernandez 4. Read by francisco cantu, and excerpted from his memoir, the line becomes a river. A border patrol agent takes us deep inside his experience patrolling the u. Pecheco and krauss delve into thecomplex history of the border patrol, from its cowboy origins in 1904 to the changes in its procedures since september 11th, and explain the sworn duty of its.
The line becomes a river chronicles life in the border. Dispatches from the border is published by bodley head. Border patrol agentturnedauthor meets protests in california. In the line becomes a river, an author looks back on his. Nightmares by the border in the line becomes a river. Francisco cantu tells the story of his time working on the border and the history of it in such a deeply personal and poetic way it makes the book more than a. In the series, author reed has described the suspenseful plots involving several border patrol agents, who try to keep the border between the united states and canada safe. I was angry, depressed, sad, but i dont think i was happy once in the book. The authors tell of the ever growing dangers involved in this job, and the obstacles they face from our own bureaucratic morass here in the u. In the line becomes a river, francisco cantu looks back on his time as a border patrol agent. The truth about the border in francisco cantus the line.
The united states border patrol usbp is the united states customs and border protections federal law enforcement arm within the united states department of homeland security dhs. Given how fraught the topic has become, its worth being crystalclear right away about what the book. Moving and factual, the book shows the hauntingly human aspect of the border and the historical timeline that has brought us to where we are now. Border patrol is a comedy series about a group of latinx border patrol agents working on the usmexican border, where the biggest dangers they face are the problems they create. View memorials for all fallen law enforcement officers from the united states department of homeland security customs and border protection united states border patrol, u. I told them that if this thing didnt work, they were going to run us out of town.
With richard webb, rico alaniz, john indrisano, don gordon. Mar 08, 2018 cantus grandparents migrated north from mexico, he grew up near the border in arizona, and he studied border politics as an undergraduate, but cantus closest relationship to the line in the title of his book was when he served as a border patrol agent in arizona, new mexico, and texas from 2008 to 2012. My initial reaction was wow this is going to be interesting. Feb 02, 2018 francisco cantus the line becomes a river is a book about the u. His dreams are a site of reckoning, where everything he cant, or refuses to see in his waking life, is made manifest. The line becomes a river chronicles life in the border patrol.
Jul 01, 2019 inside the secret border patrol facebook group where agents joke about migrant deaths and post sexist memes. Since then, the border patrol has grown huge, the migration has become the largest one on earth, and the work done by the border patrol has remained a mystery to the public. Author of ucla common book discusses experience as border. Alex pacheco challenging the myths and misconceptions that surround this law enforcement agency, a look at the dangerous world of the u. Cotton was smuggled across the texasmexico border during the civil war. Feb 18, 2018 a former fulbright fellow and the recipient of a pushcart prize and a 2017 whiting award, his first book, the line becomes a river, is based on journals he kept while patrolling the border and was. In months prior, thousands of immigrant children had been separated from their. In season one, we meet greg, a bythe book rookie who wants to a build a wall physically and emotionally from. Walking the line a border patrolmans harrowing memoir. Our role as the primary druginterdicting organization along the southwest border continues to expand. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Francisco cantu spent four years as a border patrol agent along the arizonamexico border region and the texasmexico border region. Border patrol and millions of other books are available for instant access. The border between the united states and mexico is in his blood.
A look into the history of the border patrol, from its beginnings to the near present. If you are having trouble opening a pdf file, you may right click on the link, save the file to your hard drive and then open it from your hard drive. Mark haynes while politicians and pundits endlessly debate immigration policy, u. Dispatches from the border riverhead books, out now, grows up with one level of intimate. Apr 03, 2018 a new book titled undocumented collects his images, from border patrol agents, to undocumented immigrants, to gang members in central america. Cantu among them, though usually, he said, only watching slashing the water bottles migrants rely upon to survive, decorating.
The author tells exciting stories from his time on the job. Everyone from mother jones to mens journal seems to be into the idea of hearing from a compassionate, spanishspeaking former immigration cop. Border patrol is assigned 5,000 miles of the canadian border, 1,900 miles of the mexican border, and the coastal waters of florida and puerto rico. Retired customs agent lee morgan writes memoir about his. The number of task forces investigating corruption among u. Border patrol hardcover february 1, 2004 by erich krauss author.
Border patrol memoir gets caught up in deportation fight. How the us exported its border around the world the nation. Border patrol agent bpa study guidesentry level study guidespreparation manual for the u. Coast guard patrols for illegal entries coming by sea or air to the atlantic, pacific, and gulf of mexico coasts. Apr 20, 2007 last year, upon his retirement, the salty former law enforcement agent published a sprawling, 525page account of his career and assessment of the failures of current u.
His book recounts incidents of border patrol agents with mr. The heightened presence of border patrol agents along the southwest border has burdened narcotic traffickers and alien smugglers. With vannessa vasquez, erin darling, carlos santos, greg roman. This is the official radio show podcast of the national border patrol council. This book is beautifully written and gives the reader more context and understanding for the issues on the us border with mexico from the viewpoint of a latino border patrol agent. And, i briefed every single shift of agents myself.
On the line has never been more topical in light of the new legislation president bush is currently attempting to push through regarding illegal immigrants from mexicoand the border patrol s vehement objections to it. An increase in smuggling activities has pushed the border patrol to the front line of the u. Chris cabrera is a spokesperson for the national border patrol council, the union that represents the nations almost 20,000 border patrol agents. Border patrol agents put their lives on the line to enforce immigration law. Retired customs agent lee morgan writes memoir about his time. A border patrol in which the vast majority of otherwise employable agents spend ninetypercent of their time trying to get out. The landscape of the southwest that was originally. Border patrol for nearly four years, was not your typical agent. In the line becomes a river, his beautiful and devastating memoir of his time patrolling the border in arizona, new mexico, and texas, he gives one migrant the actual shirt off his back before buying him a meal. Border patrol agents has increased, as more agents are found to have crossed the ethical line. One of the most satisfyingand controversialpassages in the book is when he returns to civilian life and starts working in a coffee shop while in graduate school.
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