Is this a neutral account or an advocacy book?

It is advocacy journalism. Dow reports documented cases and lets detainees, guards and whistleblowers speak, and the book argues the system is repressive rather than presenting a balanced policy survey.

Does it cover the period after September 11, 2001?

Yes, but only the early aftermath. Dow discusses the repercussions of September 11 and the detention practices of that time, not the later expansions of the 2010s.

Is it a memoir or a policy history?

Neither alone. It is on-the-ground reporting built around detainee profiles, framed by a brief history of U.S. immigration laws and practices.

Mark Dow is a journalist who reported inside INS facilities and interviewed detainees, jailers and federal officials for the book.

Mark Dow

American Gulag : Inside U.S. Immigration Prisons (Edition 1) (Paperback)

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$40.26at WalmartChecked Nov 10

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Mark Dow

American Gulag : Inside U.S. Immigration Prisons (Edition 1) (Paperback)

Best price now

$40.26at WalmartChecked Nov 10

Prices are checked against each store and labelled with when.

Visit Walmart

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Last seen at $40.26 at Walmart on Nov 10.

Our take on the American Gulag : Inside U.S. Immigration Prisons (Edition 1) (Paperback)

Mark Dow's investigative book examines the U.S. immigration detention system run by the INS, drawing on interviews with detainees, guards and federal whistleblowers. It profiles facilities such as Krome North in Miami and the Corrections Corporation of America's Houston Processing Center, and follows individual detainees including Ugandan defector Emmy Kutesa. Dow sets the reporting against a short history of U.S. immigration law and the changes after September 11, 2001. It suits readers who want on-the-ground reporting on detention policy rather than a legal treatise or a memoir.

Best forReaders of investigative journalismStudents of immigration and prison policyCivil-liberties and human-rights advocatesBook clubs discussing detention and incarceration

Pros

Firsthand accounts from detainees, guards and federal officials
Names specific facilities and documented cases
Combines reporting with a concise history of immigration law
Covers the post-September 11 policy shift
Readable narrative style for a policy subject

Cons

Published in the early 2000s, so it predates later detention expansions
Advocacy-driven tone rather than a neutral survey
Some cases are dated and hard to verify independently
Focuses on the INS era, before the agency was reorganized

American Gulag : Inside U.S. Immigration Prisons (Edition 1) (Paperback) prices at every store

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About the American Gulag : Inside U.S. Immigration Prisons (Edition 1) (Paperback)

American Gulag is a work of investigative journalism by Mark Dow about the immigration detention system run by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). It draws on on-the-ground reporting and on accounts from prisoners, jailers, and federal officials who came forward. The book describes documented cases of illegal beatings, psychological torment, prolonged detention, racism, and inhumane conditions.

The book takes readers inside facilities including the Krome North Service Processing Center in Miami, the Corrections Corporation of America's Houston Processing Center, and county jails that hold INS prisoners under contract. It includes in-depth profiles of detainees, among them Emmy Kutesa, a defector from the Ugandan army who was tortured, escaped to the United States, was imprisoned in Queens, and went on a hunger strike in protest.

Dow also gives a brief history of U.S. immigration laws and practices, including the effects of September 11 and present-day policies. He presents current immigration detention as part of a larger context of INS secrecy and excessive authority, not as a response to terrorism.

Author: Mark Dow
Format: Paperback
Edition: Edition 1
Subject: U.S. immigration detention, investigative journalism

Questions and answers

Is this a neutral account or an advocacy book?: It is advocacy journalism. Dow reports documented cases and lets detainees, guards and whistleblowers speak, and the book argues the system is repressive rather than presenting a balanced policy survey.
Does it cover the period after September 11, 2001?: Yes, but only the early aftermath. Dow discusses the repercussions of September 11 and the detention practices of that time, not the later expansions of the 2010s.
Which facilities does it describe?: It goes inside Krome North Service Processing Center in Miami, the Corrections Corporation of America's Houston Processing Center, and county jails that hold INS detainees under contract.
Is it a memoir or a policy history?: Neither alone. It is on-the-ground reporting built around detainee profiles, framed by a brief history of U.S. immigration laws and practices.
Who is the author?: Mark Dow is a journalist who reported inside INS facilities and interviewed detainees, jailers and federal officials for the book.
Where is the American Gulag : Inside U.S. Immigration Prisons (Edition 1) (Paperback) cheapest?: At Walmart, for $40.26, as of our latest check.

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