Educational Media Reviews Online

Illegal immigration is a hot topic in the United States, but there’s another North American country that has a substantial problem with undocumented workers: Canada. Borderless is a brief documentary that focuses on two immigrants who are working in Canada without legal authorization.

According to the video, there are up to 200,000 undocumented workers in Canada. The two featured in Borderless work in two of the most common jobs for illegal immigrants. Angela is from the Caribbean and works as a housekeeper and nanny for a family. Geraldo came from Costa Rica to work in the booming construction industry in Ontario. (The video says ¼ of construction workers in Ontario are undocumented.)

Angela is actually a second-generation undocumented worker. Her mother left Angela to work in Canada, and Angela works for the same family her mother did. She recalls her feelings of abandonment when her mother left for Canada, and wonders if her own daughter has these feelings and will grow to hate her.

Both Angela and Geraldo stay in touch with the families they left behind through frequent phone calls. Geraldo has a special concern for his son, who has leukemia. Geraldo is working in Canada to make enough money to pay the bills.

As has been pointed out in other stories on illegal immigration, money is a prime motivator in the decision to work illegally in a country. The immigrants are often paid less than those who are legal residents, but it’s still more than they would make in their home countries. The video shows giant barrels of food and other supplies that the immigrants ship to their families back home.

The stories told in the video are poignant, and a telling point is made that the jobs undocumented workers like Angela and Geraldo do make possible the upper-middle class life enjoyed by wealthier Canadians. But the video is too brief. Angela’s and Geraldo’s predicaments could have been told as segments of a television news broadcast. There is no background on Canadian immigration history or law. Produced for KAIROS, a group of Canadian religious organizations concerned with social justice issues, the video could be shown at churches as a way to inspire members to become involved in the cause of undocumented workers. However, it’s not recommended generally for purchase by libraries. It may be considered as a supplemental purchase for those with comprehensive collections on immigration or Canadian studies.