The Great Arizona Orphan Abduction by Linda Gordon

In 1904, New York nuns brought 40 Irish orphans to a remote Arizona mining camp to be placed with Catholic families. The Catholic families were Mexican, as was the majority of
the population. Soon the town’s Anglos, furious at this “interracial” transgression, formed a vigilante squad that kidnapped the children. The Roman Catholic Church sued to get its wards back, but all the courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, ruled in favor of the vigilantes. The Great Arizona Orphan Abduction tells a disturbing and dramatic tale that illuminates the creation of racial boundaries along the Mexican border.

Book review on AAUW Dialog blog.