Dying To Get In

Eric Schlosser said it best, "Left to its own devices, the free market always seeks a work force that is hungry, desperate, and cheap - a work force that is anything but free." The documentary "Dying to Get In," released in 2007, shows the audience that this quote is an accurate statement. I say this because the documentary shows how Mexico depends on illegal immigration to help its unemployment problem, while the United States depends on illegal immigration for cheap labor, which was a result of the free market system between the two nations. The documentary "Dying to Get In" is an Angelus International Student Film Festival–finalist feature-length documentary that tells astonishing stories of border crossing and the people who cross. These men, women, and children tell a story of the human dream and the pursuit of happiness deserved by all. By relying on faith, laughter, and family, today's migrants cope with the struggle to survive. It is through their deplorable stories of trying to find a better home for their family in the United States that we can gain a greater understanding of the festering national problem of immigration. Since 1994, the United States/Mexican border, christened a "gauntlet of death" by documentarian Brett Tolley, has been the scene of countless deaths. The number of deaths in the Southern Arizona desert has continued to increase until the summer of 2005 when it reached a record high. Many of these senseless deaths occurred from dehydration. The documentary also stated that the larger context behind our country’s undocumented population illustrates that trade policies and economic sanctions do not allow people (immigrates) to stay on their land (native nation). The mass exudes started two years following the signature of NAFTA in 1994 when over one million Mexican farmers were displaced because of United States was able to produce cheaper corn. This film shows us as American citizens, as we move into a global world it is vitally important that we take on global responsibility.
My opinion of the movie “Dying to Get In” is that it is sad that this level of inhumanity is occurring in the 21st century. Undocumented immigration from Mexico to the United States is the result of economic polarity between a rich country and a poor country. My question to the world is how does such a large economic difference exist between two countries that have collaborated in a trade agreement to promote fair competition and open market? The answer to this question is that trade policies have in fact exacerbated the migration problem, and led to thousands of deaths along the United States/Mexican border. It seems to me that the United States businessmen are more than willing to accept cheap Mexican labor and the government promotes this by granting amnesty programs. The focus on illegal immigration as a law enforcement problem takes attention away from the fact that Mexico depends on illegal immigration to help its unemployment problem, while the United States depends on illegal immigration for cheap labor. Unless the United States government addresses the root causes of immigration, the problem will continue to grow. I believe that the best thing that could come as a result of this documentary is to humanize our country's new immigrants and to create a dialogue for people with no connection there.

Movie Title: Dying to Get In

Documentary By: Brett Tolley