Immigration has been a part of American history since the first settlers arrived some four hundred years ago. Since those frontier days and throughout modern American history the topic of legal or illegal immigration has been a source of many contentions and debates. This documentary examines the lives and struggles of undocumented immigrants by presenting both sides of the immigration debate. In the film the main rhetorical agenda for those who want to limit illegal immigration is that, immigrants are overcrowding cities and draining resources. The main premise for the immigrant advocates in the film is that undocumented immigrants are contributing to the economy by performing low paying, labor intensive jobs Americans are not willing to do. Through the use of personal interviews and testimonies the film depicts the immigrant’s relentless drive for survival and search for a better life. In harrowing detail, many of the immigrants describe how they were able to cross the border even though many of their compatriots succumbed to the desert heat and unscrupulous human smugglers. The film also illustrates how U.S Corporations and foreign policy are contributing to the decline of Mexico’s standard of living forcing many people to seek a better life in North America. Like Bowling for Columbine, this documentary is built around two radically opposing views that don’t seem to find a middle ground. It also explores the issue at hand by digging deeper into the root cause of the problem which mainstream media usually ignores.

Forms: Documentary
Genres: Educational, Human Rights, Independent, Reality
Niches: Asian American, Hispanic, Latino, Third World