Throughline The Business of Migrant Detention
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Sep 18, 2025 
Brianna Nofil, an assistant professor at The College of William & Mary and author of *The Migrant's Jail*, dives into the troubling history of the U.S. immigration detention system. She highlights its origins in early 1900s profit motives and the 1903 Malone case that exploited vulnerable migrants. The discussion also touches on Cold War policies, including Operation Wetback, and the growth of a detention industry fueled by federal investment and local economies courting such facilities. Nofil sheds light on how this massive system evolved into today's controversial practices.
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Federal Power Replaced Local Detention Market
- The federal government centralized deportation power after Malone, gaining authority to remove detainees without local competition.
- This legal centralization shifted detention from a patchwork market to a federal administrative project.
Ellis Island Detention Became A Cold War Cause
- Ellen Knopf was detained at Ellis Island for nearly two years during the early Cold War without a disclosed reason.
- Her case became a public controversy leading to a hearing and eventual admission to the U.S.
Policy Rhetoric Versus Border Practice
- Eisenhower publicly limited long-term immigration detention but carved exceptions along the southern border.
- The administration used categorization and parole to claim restraint while deportation campaigns continued.
