Overview

It could happen anywhere in America. And it could happen today. Stopping the Deportation Machine tells the true story of one undocumented student’s journey to America to escape death threats, reunite with his family, and pursue an education. In the blink of an eye, Wildin Acosta’s dream of becoming the first member of his family to graduate high school in the United States turned into a nightmare when undercover immigration agents in Durham, North Carolina, arrested him one morning before school, intending to deport him to his native Honduras. This is a book about immigration, education, and community. Written by the school’s journalism teacher, it also tells the story of one educator’s awakening to the plight of undocumented students and a system that sometimes treats them as little more than cogs in a deportation machine. Based in part on accounts by student journalists and extensive interviews with Wildin Acosta, Christopher tells the story of how, with assistance from teachers, community leaders, and elected officials, four high school students fought all the way to Washington, DC, to get Wildin released from a government detention center and back in school. At a time when Americans continue to be deeply divided about the plight of undocumented children, Stopping the Machine breaks through the polarized rhetoric to put a human face on a problem that resides in communities across the nation. It will make readers change the way they think about why people come to America and how our government decides who can and cannot stay.

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Reviews

[This] makes for a valuable look at the role journalism and publicity can play in challenging government overreach * Publishers Weekly * Stopping the Deportation Machine is the perfect book at the perfect time to describe the labyrinthian nature of the U.S. immigration system and its complexity and cruelty. Christopher captures the harrowing journey of one young man’s life trapped behind the system with a triumphant journey of a community coming together to help him. -- Paul Cuadros * author of A Home on the Field: How One Championship Team Inspires Hope for Small Town America, and star of Los Jets, Playing for the American Dream, produced by Jennifer Lopez * “A story that reminds readers of the power of local communities and our next generation of leaders."" -- GK Butterfield * former member of Congress * Stopping the Deportation Machine is an engaging account by a dedicated high school teacher of the ordeal of an undocumented student, Wilden Acosta, who was fleeing gang violence in Honduras. It is a harrowing story of arrest, prolonged detention, and near-deportation, but also an inspiring account of activism on Wildin’s behalf, led by four remarkable fellow-students, and of how a community came together in response. -- David Price * former Member of Congress * This book is supercharged with optimism about the ability of underdogs to organize against lawless legal systems. The writing is transparent, a window into worlds that are widely unknown. Read it and believe. -- Stephen Haff * author of Still Waters in a Storm *

This book is supercharged with optimism about the ability of underdogs to organize against lawless legal systems. The writing is transparent, a window into worlds that are widely unknown. Read it and believe. -- Stephen Haff * author of Still Waters in a Storm *

Author Information

Bryan Christopher teaches English and journalism at Riverside High School in Durham, North Carolina. He also advises Riverside’s bilingual student newspaper, The Pirates’ Hook, and writes about teaching, education policy and the power of student voices for local and national publications like The Washington Post, Raleigh News & Observer, Learning for Justice, and EdWeek.

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