I am an Assistant Professor of History at William & Mary, in Williamsburg, Virginia, where I teach courses on immigration, law, and policing. I received my PhD in History from Columbia University.

My first book, The Migrant’s Jail: An American History of Mass Incarceration, is available from Princeton University Press. The Migrant’s Jail has received four book prizes, including the Frederick Jackson Turner Award and the Ellis Hawley Prize from the Organization of American Historians. It has been featured in publications including the New Yorker, El País, and The Marshall Project.

I became a historian of immigration after years of witnessing the politics and protests around the Krome Service Processing Center, an immigration detention site in my home community of South Florida. Though my current project looks at cases of migrant incarceration from coast to coast, I remain committed to incorporating as much Florida history as possible.

I’d love to hear from you! And if you’re teaching any of my work in your classes, I’d love to talk with your students. You can reach me at blnofil@wm.edu.