CORRESPONDENCE

In reviewing my book, “Operation Gatekeeper: The Rise of the ‘Illegal Alien’ and the Making of the U.S.-Mexico Boundary� (Book Review, Jan. 13), Sam Quinones does an outstanding job of presenting his own views. But much of the little he actually writes about my book leaves me wondering if we are talking about the same work.

Quinones states that my main argument is that “the enforcement of the border gave rise to the concept of the illegal alien.� My actual argument is something different and far more complex. The book’s main goals are to understand how and why unauthorized immigration and the perception of a southern boundary “out of control� emerged as issues of national concern in the 1990s, giving rise to Operation Gatekeeper, and to evaluate Gatekeeper’s effects in addition to what the operation and the larger border buildup say about the United States and international boundaries.

He further contends that I “believe that those favoring enforcement of the border and immigration law are racists.� I explicitly state in a number of places, however, that it is far too simple to make such an argument. Racist sentiment is and has always has been a factor but one that certainly does not apply to all individuals. Other factors are of great significance--nationalism, for instance.

Quinones’ views on border and immigration enforcement differ significantly from mine. But this should not prevent him from representing my book accurately.

Joseph Nevins

Berkeley

*

Sam Quinones replies:

Again, Joseph Nevins imputes dubious motives (if not racism, then nationalism) to all those who believe in controlling the borders and immigration to this country. The issue is too complex for thinking that facile. Nevins apparently finds no room for someone like me, who supports and welcomes both immigrants and border control. The United States cannot thrive without both.

I have lived in Mexico City and have covered immigration from both sides of the border for eight years. Thus I wanted very much to like Nevins’ book. I am sorry he believes I misstated his thesis. But as I said in the review, his writing is so thick and convoluted that I often didn’t understand what he was trying to say. This is a shame. Immigration is one of the great stories of our time. Mexican immigration and the Tijuana-San Ysidro border: These are issues that are alive, electric, packed with the drama of common people put to the test. I think what’s written about it ought to reflect this.