Dying to Get In by Brett Tolley

This documentary won an award for being the most socially relevant by the Hollywood student film festival. Tolley takes a very multifaceted view at the controversy over the border by interviewing people from all aspects of the border war. From the director of Borderlinks, a nonprofit organization focused on unbiased education dealing with the U.S. Mexico situation, to various members of law enforcement who deal with immigration on a daily basis to people who are trying to emigrate to the United States themselves, all walks of life are covered. It interested me greatly to hear the various accounts of the people who had tried and failed to cross the border into the United States more so than the opinions heard from the other sources. It was amazing how articulate some of the people were. They stressed very emphatically that their lives were what they valued most of all. They valued their liberty very highly, but would not work for liberty if their lives were at stake. Another thing that became very evident was the importance of faith and family in Latin American culture. Many said that one of the few things that got them as far as they did was their faith in God, and their motivation to give a better life to their loved ones, even if it was at the cost of their own discomfort. They likened their risks to risking everything for the possibility of a future, or staying put and watching their loved ones die a slow death. The most powerful statement by any of the Mexican immigrants was when one man declared that they were not dogs, nor second class human beings, but poor people at the mercy of a government more focused on relieving debt rather than healing the people that their economic situation affected so harshly. He proclaimed that if Mexico were fit to live in, they never would have wanted to leave in the first place. On the economic note, both the director of Borderlinks and an immigration lawyer in Arizona argue that the economic motivations for the large influx are partially our own fault. Isabel Garcia, the immigration lawyer, talks about the harm that NAFTA has caused by flooding Mexico with cheap American corn, leaving thousands of farmers without means to support their family. Those thousands of jobless find themselves trying to cross into America for job opportunities to support their families. One border patrol officer, Lou Godino, described 100 people being dropped off to be imprisoned, then deported each night, three or four busloads. Until there exists an alternative, these people simply will not stop crossing. Because of increased security, they are forced to try more obscure, dangerous routes to avoid being caught. Over 3000 people have died in the attempt since 1994. What is incredibly interesting to me is the point made that this border is incredibly unique in the world as it is the only border where a third world country directly borders a first world country. Granted, Mexico is taking steps towards creating a stable economy, but this will not completely stop the influx. The United States seems bent on making it more and more difficult on the people trying to emigrate to the United States when oftentimes these people are directly affected by the instability in the Mexican economy caused by the United States. The immigrant who stood out the most in my mind was a man who tried going to the United States to try to help pay for his son's medical school. He was college educated, and still unable to find gainful employment within Mexico. I hope that seeing a broader, in depth view of the people behind the numbers will make Americans more sympathetic towards the hardworking people who simply want a better life for themselves and their families. I enjoyed the documentary immensely and hope that people ignorant to the struggles and aspirations of the illegal immigrants will be enlightened by this moving film.