"Dying to Get In"

The documentary “Dying to Get In,” by Brett Tolley, is a real and eye-opening perspective on what it is like crossing the border.  In the beginning of the movie, a few illegal immigrants are explaining their reasoning on why they crossed the border illegally.  These men look as if they have lost all hope, because they have been captured by the border patrol.  They are being detained and being questioned for their actions.  The one man justifies his reasons for crossing illegally with a very heart-wrenching and convincing story.  He says that he came across to acquire a job in order to pay for his son's education.  His son is going to medical school and, in Mexico, he cannot obtain a substantial job that would pay for this education.  So he comes to America to get a decent job to send money to pay for his son to go to school.  The people crossing the border are only looking to better their families by taking advantage of the opportunities here in America.  People in Mexico say America brought this illegal immigration upon themselves because of jobs being taken away from people in Mexico.  For example, by selling Mexico cheap corn the farmers in Mexico couldn't compare and thus had to shut down and become jobless.  It is an unfortunate true cause of the surge of illegal immigration.  

The documentary then describes the business that is crossing the border.  Many of the border crossing towns in Mexico feed off of the people coming to cross illegally.  They take advantage of this economic migration by having things such as busses to take people to the borders, shops for supplies, hostels to house the immigrant, vendors for food, and coyotes to get them across.  Coyotes are the main risk of border crossing because these “guides” take the people the wrong way then rob them.  These guides also may not know the best way to get in the country.  The coyotes know the people have a lot of money on them, so they rob them when they get close to the border.  Coyotes are a dangerous risk, but many people are willing to take this risk considering no one knows the correct routes to cross other than these coyotes.  The documentary shows many people praying they will be safe in their travels because it is such a risk.  Since 1994, 3000 people have died trying to come across the border.  It is a dangerous and risky task for those who want a better life.  

It is an eye-opening documentary because it gives the side of the story not heard very often, it gives the side of the illegal immigrants.  I have learned things that had never really come to mind about the actual travel of the immigrants and the risks they had to overcome.  I now know that these people have very legitimate reasons for coming across the border to the U.S. and how hard it is to actually do so.  I never realized how nerve racking an experience like this would be.  I really don't know how these immigrants can handle all of the fears that come along with the trek.  I could not handle the fact that I maybe wont make it.  I have respect for these people in what they are doing because they are risking their lives to come into this country to better their lives.  They truly are “dying to get in.”