A fascinating analysis of Miller and his frightening effects on immigration policy, enriched by the author’s vast experience reporting on the U.S.-Mexico border. Recommended for readers interested in politics and immigration.
... uneven yet timely ... Guerrero spends much of her book plumbing Miller’s early years for the origins of his animus against immigrants, with intriguing but inconclusive results. She makes far clearer how right-wing and nationalistic media personalities provided Miller the platform and tactics to hone his political vision — and theirs — and continued shaping his views during his time as a Senate aide and as a Trump adviser ... Guerrero drops tantalizing suggestions about Miller’s motivations.
Guerrero sometimes shades off into idle speculation, as when she connects Miller’s California origins to Hollywood make-believe, but her account of his unsentimental education by way of racist texts, a carefully cultivated hatred for the nonwhite world, and a core group of mentors is carefully documented and persuasive ... A readable study in the banality of evil, even if it comes clothed in bespoke suits.
Guerrero underwhelms ... The inner workings of Trump’s anti-immigration policies have been covered in more depth elsewhere, and Guerrero’s research into Miller’s family background (his great-grandparents immigrated to America to escape Russian pogroms) reveal many ironies but few deep insights. Readers will be left in the dark about what makes Miller tick.
