Educational Media Reviews Online

“Why are so many who come to the United States seeking freedom locked up instead?” With this difficult question The Promised Land examines current US immigration policy toward those undocumented immigrants who come here seeking asylum. A catalyst for the discussion is the story of the Golden Venture, a ramshackle freighter that ran around off Queens, New York in June 1993, with a cargo of 280 Chinese immigrants. After a four month, 18,000 mile voyage under deplorable conditions, the desperate passengers leaped off the ship into the cold waters of the harbor mistakenly convinced that if they could only touch US soil they would be allowed to stay.

The reality is that U.S. law demands that all undocumented aliens, regardless of who they are, or why they are claiming to be here, must be detained, imprisoned in all but name. For some of the passengers of the Golden Venture, the detention lasted almost four years, until President Clinton paroled them. For Lin Pin, who fought with Chinese authorities who were trying to force the sterilization of his wife after the birth of their second, unauthorized, child, asylum was denied. Today, thanks to intervention by the Vatican, Lin Pin lives in South America. He’s had no contact with his wife and family since he left China.

The problem confronting the nation is preventing illegal immigration, preventing fraud and terrorism, while at the same time honoring the traditional American promise of asylum for those in danger. Today asylum seekers with no criminal record can still be locked up with no assurances of a swift resolution to their claims. This timely documentary exposes the inconsistencies in United States policy and the terrible consequences of that policy on desperate human beings. Promised Land offers a good overview of the situation and is an excellent jumping off point for class discussion. The teacher’s guide has a useful summary and open-ended discussion questions. This is an outstanding classroom resource.