Thursday, February 6, 2025

Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here by Jonathan Blitzer

The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis

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Jonathan Blitzer's "Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here" is a monumental achievement—a work of sweeping scope and intimate detail that illuminates one of the most pressing issues of our time. It's a book that will inform, enrage, and ultimately, one hopes, inspire action towards a more just and humane immigration system.

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The Human Cost of Failed Policies

In the sweltering heat of the Arizona desert, a young Salvadoran woman clutches her child as she stumbles towards what she hopes is salvation. Thousands of miles away in Washington D.C., policymakers debate abstract concepts of border security and immigration reform, seemingly worlds apart from the harsh realities on the ground. It’s this vast gulf between policy and human experience that Jonathan Blitzer bridges with remarkable clarity and empathy in his tour de force, “Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here.”

Blitzer, a staff writer for The New Yorker, has crafted a monumental work that is at once a gripping human drama and a damning indictment of decades of failed immigration policies. Drawing on over a decade of reporting, he weaves together an intricate tapestry of personal stories and political machinations that offers the most comprehensive account to date of how the United States arrived at its current immigration crisis.

A Sprawling Narrative Spanning Borders and Decades

At its core, “Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here” is a story of displacement—of people forced from their homes by violence, poverty, and desperation, only to find themselves unwelcome at the doorstep of a nation that once promised refuge to the world’s “huddled masses.” Blitzer takes us on a journey that spans half a century and multiple countries, tracing the roots of today’s crisis back to the Cold War-era conflicts in Central America.

From Civil Wars to Gang Violence

The book opens with a harrowing account of Juan Romagoza, a Salvadoran doctor tortured by his country’s military in 1980. Blitzer deftly uses Romagoza’s story to illustrate how U.S. support for repressive regimes in El Salvador and Guatemala sowed the seeds of future migration crises. As the narrative progresses, we see how the end of these civil wars gave way to new forms of violence, with deportees from the United States inadvertently exporting gang culture back to Central America.

The Rise of MS-13 and the Cycle of Violence

One of the book’s most chilling sections details the rise of MS-13, tracing its origins from the streets of Los Angeles to its eventual domination of vast swathes of El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. Blitzer’s reporting here is nothing short of revelatory, offering unprecedented access to gang members and painting a nuanced picture of how U.S. deportation policies unintentionally fueled the very violence driving people to flee northward.

The Human Face of Migration

What sets Blitzer’s work apart is his ability to humanize a crisis often reduced to statistics and political talking points. We meet people like Keldy Mabel Gonzáles Brebe de Zúniga, a Honduran mother separated from her children at the border, and Eddie Anzora, a Salvadoran deportee struggling to rebuild his life in a country he barely knows. These stories are told with such intimacy and detail that readers can’t help but feel emotionally invested in their outcomes.

The Toll on Families

Particularly gut-wrenching are the accounts of family separations. Blitzer doesn’t shy away from the trauma inflicted by these policies, showing how they devastate not just individuals but entire communities on both sides of the border. The long-term psychological impacts of these separations are explored with sensitivity and depth.

A Scathing Critique of U.S. Policy

While Blitzer’s empathy for migrants shines through, he’s equally adept at navigating the corridors of power in Washington. His access to key policymakers offers fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpses into how immigration policy is shaped (or misshapen) by political calculations and bureaucratic inertia.

The Obama Administration’s Complicated Legacy

One of the book’s most surprising and nuanced sections deals with the Obama administration’s approach to immigration. Blitzer doesn’t pull punches in his critique of Obama’s deportation policies, earning the president the moniker “Deporter-in-Chief” from some activists. Yet he also shows the genuine attempts at reform stymied by Republican opposition and the administration’s own political calculations.

The Trump Era and Beyond

The chaos of the Trump years is recounted with a mix of horror and dark humor, as policies like family separation are implemented with a callousness that shocks even hardened bureaucrats. Blitzer’s reporting on the internal resistance to these policies within DHS is particularly illuminating.

A Call for Compassion and Reform

“Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here” is not merely a work of reportage; it’s a moral reckoning. Blitzer argues persuasively that the current system is not just inhumane but also fundamentally broken, failing to achieve its stated goals while inflicting immense suffering.

The Need for a New Approach

In his conclusion, Blitzer makes a compelling case for a complete overhaul of U.S. immigration policy. He advocates for a more holistic approach that addresses root causes of migration in Central America while creating more legal pathways for those seeking safety and opportunity. It’s a tall order, but Blitzer’s exhaustive reporting makes it clear that the status quo is untenable.

A Triumph of Narrative Journalism

Blitzer’s prose is crisp and engaging throughout, deftly balancing policy analysis with deeply human stories. He has a keen eye for the telling detail – the way a deportee’s accent marks him as an outsider in his “home” country, or how a child’s drawing captures the trauma of family separation.

At over 500 pages, “Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here” is a hefty tome, but it never feels bloated. Every anecdote, every policy discussion feels essential to understanding the full scope of this complex issue. Blitzer’s years of meticulous reporting and his obvious passion for the subject shine through on every page.

A Vital Contribution to the Immigration Debate

In a political climate where immigration remains one of the most divisive issues, “Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here” feels like essential reading. It offers no easy solutions, but it does provide the historical context and human understanding necessary for any meaningful debate on the subject.

Blitzer’s work stands alongside other recent examinations of U.S. immigration policy, such as Lauren Markham’s “The Far Away Brothers” and Valeria Luiselli’s “Tell Me How It Ends.” But where those books focused on specific aspects of the crisis, Blitzer’s ambitious scope allows him to draw connections across time and borders, offering a truly comprehensive look at how we arrived at this moment.

A Book That Will Stay With You

“Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here” is not an easy read – the stories of suffering and injustice can be overwhelming at times. But it’s a necessary one. Blitzer has given voice to those too often silenced in the immigration debate and has laid bare the human cost of policies made in distant capitals.

This is a book that will haunt you long after you’ve turned the final page. It challenges readers to see beyond the rhetoric and statistics, to recognize the humanity in those seeking a better life, and to grapple with our collective responsibility for a system that has failed so many. In doing so, Blitzer has produced a work that is not just a stellar piece of journalism, but a vital historical document of our times.

Who Should Read This Book?

  • Anyone seeking to understand the complexities of U.S. immigration policy
  • Policymakers and activists working on immigration reform
  • Students of political science, international relations, and Latin American studies
  • Readers who appreciate deeply researched narrative non-fiction
  • Anyone concerned about human rights and social justice issues

Final Verdict

Jonathan Blitzer’s “Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here” is a monumental achievement—a work of sweeping scope and intimate detail that illuminates one of the most pressing issues of our time. It’s a book that will inform, enrage, and ultimately, one hopes, inspire action towards a more just and humane immigration system. In short, it’s required reading for anyone who wants to truly understand the human drama unfolding at America’s southern border.

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Jonathan Blitzer's "Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here" is a monumental achievement—a work of sweeping scope and intimate detail that illuminates one of the most pressing issues of our time. It's a book that will inform, enrage, and ultimately, one hopes, inspire action towards a more just and humane immigration system.Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here by Jonathan Blitzer