An examination of the immigration bureaucracy and the criminal justice system in the United States will be the focus of the Nov. 12 Conversations on Race and Policing.

Brianna Nofil, an assistant professor of history at William & Mary’s College of Arts & Sciences in Williamsburg, Va., will discuss her book,  “The Migrant’s Jail: An American History of Mass Incarceration.”

Her presentation, free and open to the public, will begin at noon on Zoom.

Her book examines “how a century of political, economic, and ideological exchange between the immigration bureaucracy and the criminal justice system gave rise to the U.S.’ vast immigration detention system, and how the federal government relied on sheriffs, police, and local governments to make mass deportations possible.”

Included in the accolades “The Migrant’s Jail” has earned are the Frederick Jackson Turner Award and the Ellis Hawley Prize from the Organization of American Historians.

Nofil, who teaches courses on immigration, public health, policing, and U.S. political and legal history, received her Ph.D., from Columbia University. Her work has been featured in publications including the New Yorker, El País, The Financial Times, The Independent, and The Marshall Project, and has been covered on NPR.

Image of Brianna Nofil and the cover of her book, “The Migrant’s Jail.”

The Conversations on Race and Policing program began after the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, and its aftermath. Floyd, a Black man, was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer, triggering extensive protests, demands for systemic reform in policing, and profound dialogues on race and racism. This also led to the inception of Cal State San Bernardino’s Conversations on Race and Policing, abbreviated as CoRP.

In subsequent court cases, three other former Minneapolis police officers implicated in Floyd’s death were given prison sentences.

The series has featured scholars, journalists, law enforcement officers, lawyers, activists, artists, educators, administrators and others from throughout the nation who shared their experience and expertise on issues related to race and policing.

Since then June 2020, more than 132 forums have taken place since, and video recordings of the sessions are posted online on the Conversations on Race and Policing Lecture Series Archive.

The series organizers are Amber Broaden (CSUSB and CSU Dominguez Hills, psychology), Stan Futch (president, Westside Action Group), Michael German (Brennan Center for Justice), Robie Madrigal (Pfau Library),  Jeremy Murray (CSUSB professor of history), Matt Patino (Crafton Hills College adjunct faculty) and Mary Texeira (CSUSB professor of sociology, emeritus), with support from Project Rebound at CSUSB.

For more information, contact Madrigal at rmadriga@csusb.edu or Murray at jmurray@csusb.edu.

Also visit the Conversations on Race and Policing webpage for program updates.