This forty-question essay is told in four chapters.
"Border"
We learn Luiselli is a Mexican-American novelist who felt compelled to learn more about the immigration policy and the crisis that unfolded in 2014, when massive waves of immigrants were spilling into the US because of absolute catastrophe and horror in Latin America. She describes the words "illegal immigrant" as hateful language when "undocumented refugee" is also correct. She argues that in America, many had become openly hateful of the poor and needy refugees among them.
"Court"
Luiselli also worked as a translator in New York immigration court where she learned about the Salvadorian gang epidemic. They are essentially violent murderers who enforce their rule by force and fear, and Luiselli describes the real situations that she helped translate before the judges. She says that 80 percent of the women and girls she represented reported that they had been raped by someone during their attempt to relocate to America.
"Home"
This is a specific case study from her time as a legal translator. There were two sisters who spoke Spanish poorly and English not at all. The essayist remembers asking them about their story; eventually she learns that they were from a broken family whose parents split. Their mother sent a coyote to help them into the country (a "coyote" is a professional immigrant smuggler). They were detained by Border Patrol and treated like criminals, often kept in small boxes. She mentions that this has been a problem during the last three presidencies.
"Community"
As a professor at university, Luiselli remembers her students working through their opinions about immigration and refugees. She and her students decided not to do the coursework, but instead, they partnered with each other to try and do something about their passions for immigration. She makes some post-scripted updates where she explains that feeling welcomed in a community is challenging when so many people are ready to be hateful.
