Brutal Borders? Examining the Treatment of Deportees During Arrest and Detention

Abstract

Recent legislation has produced a dramatic rise in the detention and removal of immigrants from the United States. Drawing on interviews with a random sample of Salvadoran deportees, we examine treatment during arrest and detention. Our findings indicate: (1) deportees are often subject to verbal harassment, procedural failings and use of force; (2) force tends to be excessive; (3) force is more common against deportees than citizens; (4) situational contingencies and organizational actors influence force, but ecological settings do not.