[Book review]: Separated: Family and Community in the Aftermath of an Immigration Raid

In Separated, William D. Lopez describes family and community life in Washtenaw County, Michigan, in the aftermath of an immigration raid. Drawing on participant observation and interviews with community members and police officers, conducted in both Spanish and English, Lopez shows how 'the effects of immigration enforcement extend far beyond the targets of deportation, beyond even their families, into the communities in which they live' (p.21). The book concerns itself with the brutality of ‘militarized and violent’ (p.15) US immigration raids, and draws attention to 'the physical and psychological damage' (p.15) they do to those who are left behind. Rooted in a capacious public health paradigm, which conceptualises health ‘as broadly as possible’ (p.16), the author aims to 'speak on behalf of' (p.16) minorities whose voices are often missing or ignored. While the book succeeds in documenting the hardship of life in a mixed-status Latino community in the USA, a close reading of the text reveals some significant shortcomings.