These 15 Documentaries Dive Deep Into the Experience of Undocumented Immigrants
'Food Chains' still courtesy of Netflix
Ever since the White House announced it was ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program, we’ve see how widely-held misconceptions have come to dominate the discussion regarding DREAMers and their future in the U.S. The Obama-era program was designed as an initiative that would allow undocumented immigrants who’d come into this country when they were much too young to be held accountable for such an action. It has since become a rallying point for those who, knowingly or not, spout off misleading claims about how DACA recipients siphon off government funds or steal jobs from “real” Americans.
What gets lost in the process, especially when we boil the issue down to statistics (close to 800,000 people will be affected by the government’s decision), are the specific stories of DACA recipients who, as Gael García Bernal recently put it, are often model citizens. If the American people are to stand up for DREAMers, we need to learn not just about their stories and their dreams (like that of becoming a film critic in the country they call home) but get informed as to how best to leverage direct action, civil disobedience, and grassroots organizing to affect change.
With that in mind, we’ve come up with a handy list of films that collectively help give context to what it means to live in the U.S. without papers. Think of these 15 documentaries as projects that shed light on these stories and serve as much needed educational tools that cut through any partisan ideas about undocumented immigrants in the U.S. You can learn about the perilous journeys these migrants make, get educated about how gender and sexuality crucially complicate their lives, and how everything from one’s education to working conditions become tied up in the fear and shame that often accompanies being undocumented. They are all available to stream on different platforms.
