The Long History of Demonizing Immigrants: From the Great Depression to Today episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 2, 2026 · 36 MIN

The Long History of Demonizing Immigrants: From the Great Depression to Today

from The Preamble · host Sharon McMahon

Before ICE raids, there were pamphlets warning Americans about immigrant "peasants" stealing their jobs and "hell ships" dumping people into the Mexican desert with no food, water, or way to reach their families. Sharon looks back at the parallels between the mass deportations of the past and what’s happening now.  Plus, historian and author Ana Raquel Minian joins Sharon to discuss her book In the Shadow of Liberty and the cruelty of immigrant detention in the United States. She explains why brutality was the point.  And be sure to read our newsletter at ThePreamble.com – it’s free! Join hundreds of thousands of readers who still believe understanding is an act of hope. Credits: Host and Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon Supervising Producer: Melanie Buck Parks Audio Producer: Craig Thompson (00:00:00) The Long History of Demonizing Immigrants (00:13:03) Ellis Island Was a Prison (00:27:48) Mass Incarceration of Immigrants 

Before ICE raids, there were pamphlets warning Americans about immigrant "peasants" stealing their jobs and "hell ships" dumping people into the Mexican desert with no food, water, or way to reach their families. Sharon looks back at the parallels between the mass deportations of the past and what’s happening now.  Plus, historian and author Ana Raquel Minian joins Sharon to discuss her book In the Shadow of Liberty and the cruelty of immigrant detention in the United States. She explains why brutality was the point.  And be sure to read our newsletter at ThePreamble.com – it’s free! Join hundreds of thousands of readers who still believe understanding is an act of hope. Credits: Host and Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon Supervising Producer: Melanie Buck Parks Audio Producer: Craig Thompson (00:00:00) The Long History of Demonizing Immigrants (00:13:03) Ellis Island Was a Prison (00:27:48) Mass Incarceration of Immigrants

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The Long History of Demonizing Immigrants: From the Great Depression to Today

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Before ICE raids, there were pamphlets warning Americans about immigrant "peasants" stealing their jobs and "hell ships" dumping people into the Mexican desert with no food, water, or way to reach their families. Sharon looks back at the parallels...

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