“Defending Latina/o Immigrant Communities: The Xenophobic Era of Trump and Beyond” by Alvaro Huerta coming June 15

From the publisher, Hamilton Books:

A collection of short essays and stories, Defending Latina/o Immigrant Communities: The Xenophobic Era of Trump and Beyond focuses on one of the most vilified, demonized, and scapegoated groups in the United States: Latina/o immigrants. Using his rigorous academic training, public policy knowledge, and community activist background, as well as his personal and familial experiences as the son of Mexican immigrants, Alvaro Huerta defends and humanizes los de abajo / those on the bottom. He skillfully re-frames how Latina/o immigrants should be viewed as productive and important members in this country, debunking the xenophobic tropes, lies, and myths about Latina/o immigrants as criminals, social burdens, and national security threats. Accompanied by the brilliant art of an internationally acclaimed artist, Salomon Huerta, and powerful photos of two established photographers, this book also investigates intersectional issues related to race, class, place, and state violence.

Advance Praise:

A passionate and insightful account of that complex condition we refer to as immigration. Huerta brings to the fore the deeper meanings of us all, people on the move. (Saskia Sassen, Robert S. Lynd Professor of Sociology and Co-Chairs Committee on Global Thought, Columbia University)

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…," cries the Statue of Liberty with silent lips. Alvaro Huerta's compassionate essays complete her sentence. The message is loud and clear: "the wretched have a place in America, for it is they who make it worth." (Ilan Stavans, Lewis-Sebring Professor in Latin American and Latino Culture, Amherst College)

We want to know Huerta’s parents, don glasses that allow, as reading these editorials, essays, and thought pieces encourages, a relationship to real people and real issues. As Cesar Chavez would say or ask, to paraphrase, what could be more right than to honor the labor and contributions of those who bring food to the table so that we all might eat? (Deena J. González, Provost and Senior Vice President, Gonzaga University)

Alvaro Huerta's book brings the immigration issue back to earth. Aside from being an excellent scholar, he is an activist who encapsulates the Left's voice in the immigration debate. This book synthesizes the more progressive currents of the debate and is a must-read for anyone seeking a just and lasting solution. (Rodolfo F. Acuña, Professor Emeritus of Chicana and Chicano Studies, California State University, Northridge)

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Alvaro Huerta holds a joint faculty appointment in urban & region planning and ethnic & women’s studies at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He’s the author of the book Reframing the Latino Immigration Debate: Towards a Humanistic Paradigm (San Diego State University Press).