Adding "enemy alien" to my life experiences
February 2, 2025 1:21 PM   Subscribe

I am a U.S. citizen who lives in Mexico as a Permanent Resident. Current events have led me to do some contingency planning in case I become an enemy alien. If you have gone through that experience or know of some good modern accounts, I'd love it if you'd share.
posted by Tell Me No Lies to Law & Government (4 answers total) 7 users marked this as a favorite
 
good modern accounts

district 9
“Until everyone is treated equally and receives a fair opportunity for a better life, the cycle of discrimination and segregation repeats itself” [thoughtcatalog]
posted by HearHere at 8:27 AM on February 3 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Sorry, I should have specified non-fiction.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 8:43 AM on February 3


Well, this is World War II era, so only sort of modern, but The Farm in the Green Mountains by Alice Herdan-Zuckmayer does talk about this, among other things. The Zuckmayers were fleeing the Nazis and settled in the US for political reasons, and a lot of the book is about how they had to adapt to living on a farm, and what they thought about Americans/Vermonters they interacted with, etc., etc. but the book does include a bit on how things were for them as citizens of an enemy nation when the U.S. was actively at war with Germany/Austria.

What helped them, if memory serves, is that they had been living in this rural area for a while, and their neighbors (and local officials) knew them as good people who were not supportive of the Nazis. If you have been living in Mexico for a while then hopefully you are embedded in your community and have ongoing positive interactions with the people in it.
posted by gudrun at 10:19 AM on February 3 [1 favorite]


Mod note: Two comments removed. AskMe has stricter guidelines, so please stick to answering the question being asked.
posted by loup (staff) at 12:49 PM on February 3


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