Educational Media Reviews Online

One person dies every day while trying to enter the U.S. illegally from Mexico. This film examines why so many people make this dangerous journey, how the American government tries to stop them, and how deaths often result.

Migrant farm workers in the United States often live in appalling conditions. Their wages are extremely low, and as a consequence they frequently live in shanties, caves, and even boxes! The hours they work are long, and their work is usually backbreaking. In spite of these conditions, thousands cross the U.S./Mexico border every year looking for this same kind of work. They come because of the desperate economic conditions in their own countries. Many people in Mexico seek jobs in the U.S., because they can’t find enough work (if any at all) in their homeland. Also, the money they make north of the border, while pitifully small by American standards, is far more than they can make in Mexico. Part of this money is generally sent back to their families, who otherwise would have little else to live on.

Many of those who come to America do so illegally, and as a consequence they find a number of barriers put in their way by the U.S. Border Patrol. In the 1990’s the American government instituted 'Operation Gatekeeper", a program designed to crack down on illegal immigration from Mexico. This increased the overall number of border guards, as well as the number of vehicles and helicopters at their disposal. On and around the border, movement sensing devices and night scopes were installed so as to monitor that area 24 hours a day. These were most likely to be put in places where crossings were frequent, such as those areas closest to San Diego and El Paso. This forced illegal immigrants to cross into the country through very remote and inhospitable desert regions, hoping that they could more easily escape detection there. Many have died from dehydration and exposure as a result. In one instance, a young woman, her baby and several companions were abandoned in the desert by their guide (commonly referred to as a "Coyote"). After days without food or water the woman died. It was only through the efforts of her companions that her baby survived. Immigrants are also menaced by wild animals, including snakes, tarantulas and scorpions. They face rough treatment if they are caught by the Border Patrol. Those captured are bound hand and foot, and threatened with guns. There are even reports that some migrants have been beaten. The death and hardship caused by Operation Gatekeeper has lead to its condemnation by both Amnesty International and the U.N. Commissioner of Human Rights.

This film effectively examines the reasons for illegal immigration, and exposes the extreme measures taken by the Border Patrol to stop it. It is well paced and engaging, and contains many sequences that the viewer will find both disturbing and illuminating. The bulk of the film is made up of interviews with immigrants, their families, and others involved in either immigrant rights or border security. Some of these are in English, but most are in Spanish with subtitles. The picture and sound qualities are both good. There is no narration, but the viewer is kept informed of key facts and occurrences by text messages that appear occasionally on the screen.