Laila Lalami

Columnist

LailaLalami

Laila Lalami is the author of Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America. She is a professor of creative writing at the University of California, Riverside.

Christopher Hasson

The Man With the SS Tattoo The Man With the SS Tattoo

How do we deal with the Nazis living among us?

Mar 14, 2019 / Column / Laila Lalami

Man Reads in DC Metro

Fiction Can Help Us Deal With Trump’s Chaos Fiction Can Help Us Deal With Trump’s Chaos

Making sense of the presidency, one novel at a time.

Jan 24, 2019 / Column / Laila Lalami

Victorina Morales

Trump’s Housekeeper Airs His Dirty Laundry Trump’s Housekeeper Airs His Dirty Laundry

In public, politicians demonize immigrants. In private, they exploit them for personal gain.

Dec 13, 2018 / Column / Laila Lalami

Otay Mesa Immigrant Detention

How the Trump Administration Is Normalizing Immigrant Internment Camps How the Trump Administration Is Normalizing Immigrant Internment Camps

If the Muslim ban is any guide, an idea that was once considered insane will soon become acceptable.

Jul 20, 2018 / Column / Laila Lalami

Who Owns Public Space?

Who Owns Public Space? Who Owns Public Space?

Racists who threaten and police people of color are finally getting called out.

May 24, 2018 / Column / Laila Lalami

Anti-deportation protest

How ICE Puts a Generation at Risk How ICE Puts a Generation at Risk

Young people are left to grapple with the consequences of every raid—sometimes for years.

Apr 19, 2018 / Column / Laila Lalami

Immigrant Kids ICE

Under Trump, ICE Has Become a Vast, Cruel Bureaucracy Under Trump, ICE Has Become a Vast, Cruel Bureaucracy

Children seeking asylum are being separated from their parents for no good reason.

Mar 22, 2018 / Column / Laila Lalami

Melania Trump Parents

What We Talk About When We Talk About Immigration What We Talk About When We Talk About Immigration

Donald Trump is changing the terms of the debate. How should progressives respond?

Feb 15, 2018 / Column / Laila Lalami

Trump on the Big Screen at CPAC

The Reality-Show President, Season One The Reality-Show President, Season One

Featuring meltdowns, tantrums, betrayals and racism. What happens next?

Jan 15, 2018 / Column / Laila Lalami

Roy-Moore

We Can’t End Sexual Harassment if We Make It a Partisan Issue We Can’t End Sexual Harassment if We Make It a Partisan Issue

Sexual harassment is not limited to any party, race, or religion.

Nov 15, 2017 / Column / Laila Lalami

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