Tierra y Libertad: Land, Liberty, and Latino Housing

One of the quintessential goals of the American Dream is to own land and a home, a place to raise one's family and prove one's prosperity. Particularly for immigrant families, home ownership is a way to assimilate into American culture and community. However, Latinos, who make up the country's largest minority population, have largely been unable to gain this level of inclusion. Instead, they are forced to cling to the fringes of property rights and ownership through overcrowded rentals, transitory living arrangements, and, at best, home acquisitions through subprime lenders.

In Tierra y Libertad , Steven W. Bender traces the history of Latinos' struggle for adequate housing opportunities, from the nineteenth century to today's anti-immigrant policies and national mortgage crisis. Spanning southwest to northeast, rural to urban, Bender analyzes the legal hurdles that prevent better housing opportunities and offers ways to approach sweeping legal reform. Tierra y Libertad combines historical, cultural, legal, and personal perspectives to document the Latino community's ongoing struggle to make America home.

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction Part I. Running for the Border to Escape Justice1 El Fugitivo Part II. Economic Motivations for Southbound Border Runs2 Gringos in Paradise 3 A Giant Sucking SoundPart III. Illicit Motivations for Southbound Border Runs 4 Margaritaville: The Lure of Alcohol 5 Losin' It: Prostitution and the Child Sex Trade 6 Going Southbound: Mexican Divorces and Medical Border Runs Part IV. Economic Motivations for Northbound Border Runs7 Rum-Running for the Border 8 Acapulco Gold 9 Coming to AmericaPart V. A Framework for Comprehensive Border Reform 10 Lessons from 150 Years of Border Crossings11 Good Neighbor Immigration Policy 12 Reefer Madness 13 A Framework for Southbound Crossings 14 Laws the Border Leaves BehindConclusionNotesIndex About the Author