
Voices of the Border
Testimonios of Migration, Deportation, and Asylum
Georgetown University Press
Published on 1. July 2021
Book
Hardback
296 pages
978-1-64712-084-9 (ISBN)
Shipment within 3-4 weeks
Description
Powerful personal accounts from migrants crossing the US-Mexico border provide an understanding of their experiences, as well as the consequences of public policy
Migrants, refugees, and deportees live through harrowing situations, yet their personal stories are often ignored. While politicians and commentators mischaracterize and demonize, herald border crises, and speculate about who people are and how they live, the actual memories of migrants are rarely shared. In the tradition of oral storytelling, Voices of the Border reproduces the stories migrants have told, offering a window onto both individual and shared experiences of crossing the US-Mexico border.
This collection emerged from interviews conducted by the Kino Border Initiative (KBI), a Jesuit organization that provides humanitarian assistance and advocates for migrants. Based in Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Sonora-twin border cities connected by shared histories, geographies, economies, and cultures-the editors and their colleagues documented migrants' testimonios to amplify their voices. These personal narratives of lived experiences, presented in the original Spanish with English translations, bring us closer to these individuals' strength, love, and courage in the face of hardship and injustice. Short introductions written by migrant advocates, humanitarian workers, religious leaders, and scholars provide additional context at the beginning of each chapter.
These powerful stories help readers better understand migrants' experiences, as well as the consequences of public policy for their community.
Royalties from the sale of the book go to the Kino Border Initiative.
Migrants, refugees, and deportees live through harrowing situations, yet their personal stories are often ignored. While politicians and commentators mischaracterize and demonize, herald border crises, and speculate about who people are and how they live, the actual memories of migrants are rarely shared. In the tradition of oral storytelling, Voices of the Border reproduces the stories migrants have told, offering a window onto both individual and shared experiences of crossing the US-Mexico border.
This collection emerged from interviews conducted by the Kino Border Initiative (KBI), a Jesuit organization that provides humanitarian assistance and advocates for migrants. Based in Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Sonora-twin border cities connected by shared histories, geographies, economies, and cultures-the editors and their colleagues documented migrants' testimonios to amplify their voices. These personal narratives of lived experiences, presented in the original Spanish with English translations, bring us closer to these individuals' strength, love, and courage in the face of hardship and injustice. Short introductions written by migrant advocates, humanitarian workers, religious leaders, and scholars provide additional context at the beginning of each chapter.
These powerful stories help readers better understand migrants' experiences, as well as the consequences of public policy for their community.
Royalties from the sale of the book go to the Kino Border Initiative.
Reviews / Votes
Voices of the Border witnesses immigration and its complications on the US-Mexico border in an emotional, unforgettable way. * Foreword Reviews * Voices of the Border offers an intimate, emotional view into the migrant experience, and it is an excellent read for scholars and the public alike. * Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Washington, DC
United States
Target group
US School Grade: College Graduate Student and over
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
Not illustrated
Dimensions
Height: 232 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
506 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-64712-084-9 (9781647120849)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions

Tobin Hansen | Maria Engracia Robles Robles
Voices of the Border
Testimonios of Migration, Deportation, and Asylum
Book
approx. 10/2026
2nd Edition
Georgetown University Press
€83.50
Not yet published
Additional editions

Tobin Hansen | María Engracia Robles Robles
Voices of the Border
Testimonios of Migration, Deportation, and Asylum
E-Book
07/2021
Georgetown University Press
€28.99
Available for download
Persons
Tobin Hansen is an instructor of anthropology at the University of Oregon. His research examines migration and deportation, race, masculinities, care, borders, prisons, and gangs. He is a volunteer at the Kino Border Initiative.
Maria Engracia Robles Robles is a Missionary Sister of the Eucharist and education coordinator at the Kino Border Initiative. She is the author of Las ultimas seran las primeras: El discipulado de las mujeres en los Evangelios.
Sean Carroll, SJ, is the executive director of the Kino Border Initiative.
Maria Engracia Robles Robles is a Missionary Sister of the Eucharist and education coordinator at the Kino Border Initiative. She is the author of Las ultimas seran las primeras: El discipulado de las mujeres en los Evangelios.
Sean Carroll, SJ, is the executive director of the Kino Border Initiative.
Content
Foreword, Sean Carroll, SJ
Preface, Tobin Hansen
Acknowledgments
1. Testimonios from Nogales, Tobin Hansen
2. Wealth Inequality and Migration, Introduced by Tobin Hansen
3. Violence and Maras, Introduced by Jorge A. Andrade Galindo
4. Gendered Violence, Introduced by Cecilia Guadalupe Espinosa Martinez
5. Separated from Family, Introduced by Maria Engracia Robles Robles, ME
6. Clandestine Border Crossings, Introduced by David Hill
7. Abuses by Government, Introduced by Joanna Williams
8. Mexico as the New Southern US Border, Introduced by Marla Conrad and Jorge A. Andrade Galindo
9. Deporting through Crime and Race, Introduced by Tobin Hansen
10. Deported from Home, Introduced by Tobin Hansen
11. Dismantling Access to Asylum, Introduced by Joanna Williams
12. Spiritual Life, Introduced by Samuel Lozano de los Santos, SJ
13. Valuing Voices, Tobin Hansen
Notes
Bibliography
List of Contributors
Index
Preface, Tobin Hansen
Acknowledgments
1. Testimonios from Nogales, Tobin Hansen
2. Wealth Inequality and Migration, Introduced by Tobin Hansen
3. Violence and Maras, Introduced by Jorge A. Andrade Galindo
4. Gendered Violence, Introduced by Cecilia Guadalupe Espinosa Martinez
5. Separated from Family, Introduced by Maria Engracia Robles Robles, ME
6. Clandestine Border Crossings, Introduced by David Hill
7. Abuses by Government, Introduced by Joanna Williams
8. Mexico as the New Southern US Border, Introduced by Marla Conrad and Jorge A. Andrade Galindo
9. Deporting through Crime and Race, Introduced by Tobin Hansen
10. Deported from Home, Introduced by Tobin Hansen
11. Dismantling Access to Asylum, Introduced by Joanna Williams
12. Spiritual Life, Introduced by Samuel Lozano de los Santos, SJ
13. Valuing Voices, Tobin Hansen
Notes
Bibliography
List of Contributors
Index