Breaking ICE

“Sonali Kolhatkar's Breaking ICE is a vital road map of the community defense efforts emerging across the country that the MAGA fascists, masked federal thugs, and techno-oligarchs don't want us to see. Essential reporting from the front lines of resistance.”

– Maximillian Alvarez, Editor-in-Chief and Co-Executive Director of The Real News Network

“If you want to know what we mean by ‘Abolish ICE,’ read this book. Journalist Sonali Kolhatkar combines the real-world experiences of activists currently fighting state terror with the long-term vision of academics and historians who study movements. These uniquely curated voices are not just reflections of the foremost battle of our time, but inspire on-going action, solidarity, and a roadmap rooted in justice for immigrant families and people of color.”

– Erika Andiola, Political Director for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network

“Breaking ICE provides us with much-needed lessons from activist warriors on the frontlines against Trump’s fascist attacks on immigrants and the historical systems of oppression. Each story serves as a powerful reminder of why building deep solidarity is our best weapon in the fight for justice. This book helps us transform our fears into collective resilience. I look forward to sharing Breaking ICE with my students, community members, and all those in the struggle today.”

– Victor Narro, Project Director and Professor of Labor Studies, UCLA Labor Center

“In Breaking ICE, Sonali Kolhatkar spotlights the everyday heroes standing up to injustice, offering a clear roadmap for the rest of us. It is an essential reminder of what communities can achieve when they organize. This book will inspire you to turn your empathy into action.”

– Reyna Grande, author of The Distance Between Us

““The current war on immigrants is only the latest episode—albeit one of the most vicious—in the battle over belonging, and the stakes are higher than ever,” journalist and political commentator Kolhatkar (Talking About Abolition) asserts in this galvanizing collection of interviews with activists organizing against ICE. Kolhatkar, who hosts the TV and radio program Rising Up with Sonali, shares 20 conversations with leaders on the front lines of the fight against Trump’s attack on immigrants, the militarization of American cities, and attempts to stifle dissent. Leonardo Martinez, a volunteer for a central California immigrant rights group, shares his story of being taken into ICE custody as a U.S. citizen. Nikki Marín Baena, cofounder of a North Carolina immigrant and labor rights organization, writes about borrowing tactics from the civil rights movement, including leading protestors in song to “help lower the temperature” during ICE operations. The second half of the book turns to broader conversations about resisting “MAGA fascism.” Pulitzer winner Viet Thanh Nguyen reflects on his experience traveling to El Salvador to study U.S. imperialism at the same time Marco Rubio visited the country to finalize the Trump administration’s prison deportation agreement. Artist and activist Favianna Rodriguez reassures activists that “attempts to erase us are happening precisely because there is momentum.” It’s an uplifting collection of influential voices fighting for democracy.”

– Publishers Weekly