Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here

The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis

By: Jonathan Blitzer

Narrated by: Jonathan Blitzer, André Santana

Length: 18 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

A National Bestseller

“What an incredibly thorough documentation of the causes of the immigration crisis, the discussions that have been going on through multiple administrations.” —Jon Stewart, The Daily Show

“Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here is sure to take its place as one of the definitive accounts of the U.S. and Central American immigration puzzle. . . . Hopefully, those with the power to change things will listen.” —Manuel Roig-Franzia, Washington Post

“[A] timely and instructive history of the immigration crisis . . . Conflicts over immigration often arise from similarity rather than difference, and the strangers at our border have a familiar history that Blitzer tells in meticulous and vivid detail. It is our own.” —Matthieu Aikins, The New York Times

An epic, heartbreaking, and deeply reported history of the disastrous humanitarian crisis at the southern border told through the lives of the migrants forced to risk everything and the policymakers who determine their fate, by New Yorker staff writer Jonathan Blitzer

Everyone who makes the journey faces an impossible choice. Hundreds of thousands of people who arrive every year at the US-Mexico border travel far from their homes. An overwhelming share of them come from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, although many migrants come from farther away. Some are fleeing persecution, others crime or hunger. Very often it will not be their first attempt to cross. They may have already been deported from the United States, but it remains their only hope for safety and prosperity. Their homes have become uninhabitable. They will take their chances.

This vast and unremitting crisis did not spring up overnight. Indeed, as Blitzer dramatizes with forensic, unprecedented reporting, it is the result of decades of misguided policy and sweeping corruption. Brilliantly weaving the stories of Central Americans whose lives have been devastated by chronic political conflict and violence with those of American activists, government officials, and the politicians responsible for the country’s tragically tangled immigration policy, Blitzer reveals the full, layered picture for the first time.

Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here is an odyssey of struggle and resilience. With astonishing nuance and detail, Blitzer tells an epic story about the people whose lives ebb and flow across the border, and in doing so, he delves into the heart of American life itself. This vital and remarkable story has shaped the nation’s turbulent politics and culture in countless ways—and will almost certainly determine its future.

©2024 Jonathan Blitzer (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Blitzer, a staff writer for the New Yorker, debuts with a masterful portrayal of the trauma experienced by asylum-seeking migrants from Central America and the U.S. government’s often inept policy interventions . . . Blitzer has produced a model of long-form journalism that intertwines the personal and the political . . . This is a powerful indictment of U.S. immigration policy.” —Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

“Conditions on the U.S.-Mexico border have worsened as thousands of Central Americans clamor to enter the U.S., braving diversion tactics that have included separating children from their families and placing adults in conditions that resemble concentration camps. It’s a sorrowful yet urgent topic, and Blitzer navigates it with both journalistic rigor and compassion. A sobering, well-reported history in which no one emerges a winner.” —​Kirkus (starred review)

“In this urgent, extraordinary book, Jonathan Blitzer takes a crisis we generally encounter in the black-and-white simplicity of sound bites and statistics and reconceives it in complicated, unforgettable color. Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here tells the origin story of our border emergency as both a sweeping panorama, traversing decades and continents, and an intimate chronicle of the lives of a handful of indelible characters. Based on years of unparalleled reporting with migrants, activists, and policymakers, the book offers a profound reflection on one of the great paradoxes of American life—and a tribute to the astonishing indomitability of the human spirit.” —Patrick Radden Keefe, New York Times bestselling author of Say Nothing and Empire of Pain

Nuanced Informative History

A nourishing, evocative, and well-researched book on immigration. The different points-of-view were fascinating. I feel like I have a thorough document of the issues from all sides. Thank you for writing this, Jonathan.

Worth the time, a lot of investment though

I read and listen to a lot of nonfiction books, particularly United States and United States history history. When I got this book, I was expecting more along the lines of typical nonfiction books, going through policies and events, which this book definitely does. However, there is a lot of storytelling in here. Which, at first was kind of a turn off for me and I was about ready to stop listening. Not that the stories were not appealing, but I wanted to talk more about the events and policies. Over the course of the book, I grew to appreciate the stories that were told. All of them had their own significance and I got a real prospective of what it must’ve been like for these people who were just trying to get better lives. To me, as someone who knows little to no immigration history, or anything like that, the idea that most of these people Were not looking to the US as thier home, they were looking to go back to their home countries. That fact, kind of made me look at it a different angle. As my title says, this book is a lot of investment as a listener in my opinion, but worth it

Learning the history through individual lives.

The history of Central America and the US involvement has always been vague to me. I knew things, I didn't understand others, but this book created a timeline that put everything in order. It's a complete and fascinating and horrible story all at the same time. I wish everyone understood how our involvement in the governments makes us culpable. We need to do more to actually help the people we've caused pain. If we had the will, we would find a way.

How America Created its Own Border Problem

As I read this, it occurs to me that the former President would make the US as unstable as the Latin American countries we have helped destabilize over the past century. Using false news and stats, he would rig the election results, install submissive judges and energize his own private army of gangs.

A Must-Read for understanding the border crisis

One of the most vexing political concerns of today is the “migrant/border” issue. It is vexing because few understand its history, causes, or level of human suffering it entails, making our responses glib and superficial. Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here weaves together the multiple factors involved in the humanitarian crisis unfolding at our border, clarifying the long and complicated link between the United States and the civilian and military regimes of Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. Compelling and insightful, Blitzer tells the story through the lives of the migrants forced to risk everything in search of a better life, the activists in search of better solutions, and the politicians on both sides of the border who shape their destiny.

Immigration and foreign policy, both broken

The use of personal stories of immigrants to illustrate both the causes of immigration and how the policies warped the flow was very effective and very moving. It is sad that our political leaders use such cruel policies to show their strength at the border.

the veracity of the story

as a Guatemalan it's amazing to learn and see how history it repeats itself and how must things and the damage that my society lives today comes from this time in our history.. even if things happened 40 or more years ago

The effort put in to researching the immigration story of the US during the most recent decades.

I was born Central American to a US born person worked for the US government there during the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. The writer’s grasp of the issues is spot on as his story educates his readers on the tragic social political reality of Central America of the past decades and how the US impacted the political processes there resulting in the cruel and almost impossible immigration crisis we are all currently living through in the US. Thank you, Jonathan Blitzer for this empathic tribute to all the immigrants.

Solid backstory to current crisis

Great background of the US involvement in the northern triangle that has led to some of the mess at the border.

Great history lessons

I knew nothing about the border crises and US policy toward migrants. This book describes problems people face in their countries of origin and problems getting to the USA and difficulties once here. Very informative.