Oscar-nominated actor Demian Bichir is no stranger to political activism, both in and outside of his film work. The Mexican actor has stood up in protest against mistreatment of residents in Oaxaca and has sought to change the way Latinos are presented in television and movies. In the wake of the Trump administration’s policy forcing the separation of immigrant children from their parents at our southern border, Bichir – who himself benefited from the amnesty offered to immigrants under the Reagan administration in 1985 – penned an article for Deadline about the “important misconceptions that need to be considered.”
Criticizing US leadership that has “blown past the limits of basic human decency,” Bichir’s piece lays out and debunks the various myths associated with immigrants, including the notion that “immigrants are a burden to the countries who shelter them,” or that they arrive to take people’s jobs and milk the system. Describing how “immigrants make countries better,” Bichir calls on elected officials to stop separating families and “make it right,” noting that “they all have the opportunity to become heroes rather than remain villains” by not “shamelessly participating in his [Trump’s] inhumane agenda.”
The entire piece is a blistering and necessary piece eloquently written by someone who has seen the benefits of immigration and amnesty first-hand. Content creators, directors, and now actors are all coming forth to use their platforms to urge people to be smarter and realize the treatment of those detained is inhumane, horrific, and flat-out wrong.