Customer Reviews

The Deporter: One Agent's Struggle Against the U.S. Government's Refusal to Expel Criminal Aliens

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4 star:		(2)
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2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

i've just finished reading "the deporter" and it was awesome. i like gritty novels, stories about cops and other government agencies. and to put my tastes on a map, the authors i like are joseph wambaugh and james patterson when it comes to these stories. they write great novels. so naturally i loved this book, "the deporter," even more than my past favorites. i loved it because of it's intelligent characters and because the story here is not only really exciting and painfully shocking - it's all real. the story is true. and it's an eye-opener. and that's the part that gets me angry. that this story is real. and here the author, holbrook, doesn't call for a stop on immigration, but he does lay out some ugly realities. and as an immigrant, i hate how those realities affect the whole issue negatively. i've always argued for more-open-than-not borders, but after reading this book and seeing through a deportation officer's eyes and being down in the street and virtually experiencing his job, i'm not so sure i want those borders so open anymore. immigration is reportedly good for the country but it's too easy to imagine our cities turning into crime-playgrounds for criminal aliens as they aren't being deported. anyway, i could go on, but i'll just say this book gets two thumbs up! i can't recommend this book enough! at the end of the day it's one great story about crime and the cops who stop it.

It is refreshing to finally read an honest book
regarding this very important topic. The author
intelligently leads us, the readers, through a
confusing maze of bureaucratic nonsense without losing
our interests or burying us in the minutia.
Unfortunately for Americans, this is not a novel about
a fictitious hero with a happy ending, but rather a
true account of the everyday struggles of immigration
law enforcement. Not only is the information
contained in this book shocking, it is real. I hope
that reader's can see beyond the author's stories
about his experiences as an Immigration officer and
recognize that this book is a bold commentary on the
sad state of affairs governing this nation's
immigration policies. Although, I just finished this
book, I cannot wait to read the memoirs of 'Evil Ken'
and his exploits as a former Immigration officer.

My eyes have been opened, and The Deporter is a brisk page-turner as well. Holbrook's story will terrify you, even as you stand in admiration for his cunning, his deviousness, his single-mindedness of purpose, and his unquestionable patriotism. This book should also motivate you...to spread the word. Perhaps we, as the voting public, can change things if we pressure our politicians on this issue. I learned, and was shocked to discover, that we have monsters in our midst that our government, in its ineptitude, has forced agents like Holbrook, who are supposed to be our protectors, to release upon our streets. Holbrook broke all the rules, in an attempt to staunch some of this hemorrhage. As I read, I began to think...my own sister, or mother, or child, (or yours) could be living next to the next rapist or child molester or killer that is reluctantly released by Deportation Officers, by order of the Federal government. Holbrook's writing is extremely lucid and fast-paced. He gives all the details needed (but no more than necessary) to paint a very real picture of his exciting and excruciating experience. I am dying to share some of the delightful and inventive ploys that he came up with to save us from our own government's policies, but I won't spoil your terrific surprise. I also really appreciated Holbrook's way with words. He frequently made me think (and sometimes laugh or almost-I'm a guy- cry) with his interesting analogies and word choices. Hoping for more to come from this very gifted writer. Enjoy The Deporter!

Many books are labeled "shocking" by critics or book sellers. "The Deporter" needs no such hype. It is truly shocking. Ames Holbrook spent four years as a deportation officer. He describes in detail how literally thousands of the vilest criminals in the world have been and continue to be released onto the streets of America. They come from all over the world. Many are legally admitted aliens. Many others are illegal aliens. We are not talking about your gardener, handy man or chambermaid. These aliens have been found guilty of crimes such as murder, rape, arson, assault, kidnapping, bombing, child molestation and many others, found guilty by our legal system, the same system which orders their release onto our streets. Holbrook's enemies were many, foreign governments, lawyers, politicians, bureaucrats, diplomats, hypocrites of every stripe and, most of all, your very own United States Government. If you believe that the deportation of aliens is simply a bureaucratic process that needs to be exercised. Guess again. It will require a will and determination that our government has heretofore lacked. Perhaps this book will inspire citizens to put pressure on our government and force it to do its duty.

Shocking testimonial. Very well written by a gifted writer. It's a page turner for sure. This is a must read for people of all political persuasions. It's a cry for help.

These criminals might as well have been issued diplomatic passports. Ames Holbrook has taken the readers thru a door that not many people have entered. Until picking up this book recently, I was never aware that my neighborhood could be crawling with the likes of Rodolfos and Xayavongsas, harden criminals with "get out of jail free" passes issued by our incompetence and inept govenment agencies. Commendations to Holbrook and his band of brothers who did not just sit idlely by and watch the floodgate open. They were very resouceful, talented and bent with tenacity to go the extra mile at their attempts to protect America. For that I thank you all with my gratitude. Thank you for walking the fence.

The book is also very well written and concise, taking readers through the mechanics of paper and document processing while keeping them interested and not wanting to put the book down, a difficult task indeed. A great job of bringing the readers "inside", I could almost hear the Chinese prisoners murmuring amongs themseves in one of the prisons. I myself have traveled extensively (through many a war zones and the "new" republics), so I can attest to the nuances of the foreign agents and officers manning the posts. The accuracy is superb. Holbrook also added many anecdotes which bring lightness to otherwise a very harsh and dangerous reality.

All in all a great book. Definitely a must read. Our government must stop releasing these criminals back into the streets of America. Enough with the excuses. Think about it people, our children and family might be next because of our inept and incompetent government agencies.

America needs more dedicated federal agents in the mold of Ames Holbrook.
He managed to deport many more serious criminals than the law allowed.
Officials on the Supreme Court, Congress, and Department of State should make this book required reading. They would understand what occurs when they make sweeping increases in criminal's civil rights so that the deportation agents are ordered to release criminals out on the streets. This allows them to murder more citizens. These additional crimes would not have occurred if the criminal had been deported. Officer Holbrook bent the law(s)to get rid of as many of these vicious criminal types as he could.

W.W. Haskell, Ph.D.
Vinalhaven, Inc.
Brookshire, Texas

This writer is an amazing storyteller, but even more amazing--and alarming--is that the story he tells is true! Once I picked up The Deporter, I couldn't put it down until I finished it. I just can't believe the US goverment is actually preventing its highly trained deportation officers from doing the job it hired them to do. That we are turning hardened alien criminals back onto the streets of our unsuspecting communities is shocking! It's no wonder Holbrook bent the rules.

This author's work is spellbinding. He says so much with few words. Each chapter ending leads the reader right into the next. The personal tidbits and humor are welcome, particularly since the subject is so serious.

I would definitely seek out other works by Holbrook.

Stories from the front lines are interesting because they involve action rather than policy and theory. In addition to fighting the bad guys, the front line soldiers and officers also provide stories about frustrations, bosses that supported them, and bosses that got in the way. Isn't this the pattern of every police movie you have ever seen?

The difference here is that Ames Holbrook was a real Deportation Officer. He tells us about the way he and his peers went about deporting criminals who were also illegal immigrants. The shocking part of the book is the policies surrounding what happens to these criminals when their home country won't take them. They go back to prison, right? No! They are RELEASED! Yep, they are set free even though they have years and decades left on their criminal sentence. These criminals know how to work the system and play it like artists. You need to read this book just to understand this point. The prison doesn't want them back because they are already overcrowded and the current policies from our elected officials and their bureaucrats won't allow the immigration folks to hold them. So, they go free. And laugh at us while returning to prey on our citizens.

The author tells us his proud successes such as the work he did with the Chinese, how he worked the prisoners, and how he went outside the rules to trick the relevant foreign governments to take their citizens back. Since he is a person who values honesty, law, and truth, the years of bending and breaking the rules to get things done despite the bureaucracy took their toll and he decided to leave his job. Why he now lives in Thailand he does not say and I am somewhat mystified by it.

Tales from the frontline are important to fill in the realities at the edges of the big picture, but they also distort it if it is all you see. The foot soldier never knows exactly where he fits in to things and what the larger considerations are. However, he knows first hand what the big picture costs in blood and human loss. Since the media never gives us the kinds of stories we get here, this is a good read to pick up another reality of our broken immigration (and deportation) system.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

Another good book on a related subject:

The Reaper's Line: Life and Death on the Mexican Border

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I picked up this book. Certainly not such a gripping and emotional tale of shocking truths so close to home. The story was easy to read but never dull. Every moment was so rich with detail that at times I felt like I was watching a movie. Even now I'm not sure what to say. The story left me speechless. Bruno's review hits in on the head for me. I would highly recommend this book to anyone. In fact, I bought each my brothers one for Christmas. If you're looking for an intense but quick read with an everyday hero this is defintely the book for you.