Border politics became a high priority for the U.S. government following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and illegal immigration became the “problem” of the southern border dominating the news. The perceived loss of Americans’ safety, jobs, and health care was pinned to the “problem” of illegal immigration. The new border/security policies, with the onset of the War on Terror, further criminalized immigration law and heightened enforcement of illegal immigration. The authors examine the administration of “illegal” immigration policies to test Agamben’s State of Exception and Homo Sacer theories—used here to describe and explain U.S. immigration and deportation policy.