Banished Citizens: A History of the Mexican American Women Who Endured Repatriation by Marla A. Ramírezexamines the mass expulsion of ethnic Mexicans from the United States between 1921 and 1944. Ramírez argues that what officials called “repatriation” was actually a form of banishment, because around 60% of those forced to leave were U.S. citizens—primarily Mexican American women and children whose husbands or fathers were Mexican immigrants. 

Using oral histories, archival documents, and family records, the book follows several families across multiple generations to show how these removals disrupted lives, stripped people of citizenship rights, separated families, and erased economic opportunities. Ramírez focuses especially on women, showing how discriminatory laws and gender expectations made them vulnerable to expulsion despite their legal citizenship. 

The book also explores how both the U.S. and Mexican governments benefited politically and economically from the removals. In the United States, Mexican communities were blamed for economic hardship during the Great Depression, while Mexico viewed returnees as a labor source. Ramírez argues that these policies helped create long-lasting stereotypes linking Mexicanness with illegality and foreignness. 

Overall, the book is both a historical study and a multigenerational account of resilience, showing how descendants of banished families continue to deal with the legal, cultural, and economic consequences of these forced removals today.