Enrique's Journey (Common Text 2012-2013): Films

Beginning in the remote mountain jungles of Guatemala, awash with the lushness of nature and the rainbow colors of the Mayans, this highly- acclaimed drama about a brother and sister seeking a better life centers on two young Indians. When their father is killed by government soldiers and their mother taken away, they set out for the "promised land" to the north--El Norte.

Documentary film about the next group of immigrants, the Mexicans, that are following in our long history of immigration. It looks at the people of Farmingville, New York, and at how they are dealing with the influx of about 1,500 Mexican workers.

Tells the unforgettable story of the 250,000 teenagers who left their homes and hopped freight trains during the Great Depression.

This documentary is based on over 700 interviews with men and women in the Mexican countryside. The film explores why so many people leave small Mexican towns to work in the United States and what happens to the families and communities they leave behind. The audience is encouraged to think about new and creative ways that the U.S. and Mexican governments can work together to solve the problem of undocumented immigration.

Walter Vale is a widower who teaches economics at a Connecticut university. He lives alone and is no longer motivated by his work. In New York to present a paper at a conference, he goes to the apartment that he has not visited in some time, but has kept since his wife was alive, only to discover a young couple living there. Despite their great cultural differences, Walter befriends Tarek, a Syrian citizen and drummer, and gradually builds a friendship with Esi, his girlfriend from Senegal. One day, when returning from Central Park with Walter, Tarek is arrested for jumping a stuck subway turnstile, despite the fact that he had paid. The police discover he does not have legal papers and transfer him to an immigrant detention center in Queens. Feeling responsible for and connected to Tarek, Walter decides to stay in New York to help and support him. Not hearing from her son, Tarek’s mother arrives from Michigan to find out why, and she and Walter support one another while they attempt to free Tarek.

A feature documentary that follows unaccompanied child migrants on their journey through Mexico as they try to reach the United States. We follow children like Olga and Freddy, 9-year old Hondurans, who are trying to reach their parents in the US. Children like Jose, a 10-year old El Salvadoran, who has been abandoned by smugglers and ends up alone in a Mexican detention center, and Kevin, a streetwise 14-year- old Honduran, whose mother hopes that he will reach the US.

For many teenagers in Mexico, heading across the U.S. border after high school is much more common than heading off to college. But as law enforcement continues to tighten security, that journey is growing more and more hazardous. Filmed on both sides of the border, this program briefly examines issues surrounding illegal immigration—particularly how much more a person can earn in America than in Mexico. Footage of a BORSTAR search-and-rescue officer hot on the trail of illegals in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert emphasizes the dwindling chances of successfully crossing into America illegally. (12 minutes)

This program looks at the human drama behind the current debate over U.S. immigration policy. It roams both sides of the Texas-Mexico border, exploring the root causes of why Mexicans immigrate. The role played by transnational corporations and their social and economic impact on both Mexicans and other North Americans is considered. A second segment explores the determination of immigrants and questions why current immigration policies are the most restrictive in years. A third part discusses the strong family values immigrants bring with them as having a positive impact on U.S. culture. Immigrant organizations are examined within the context of the American citizen action tradition.

A look into allegations of corruption among government housing officials.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter sounds off on mothers who come to the U.S. illegally and the children they leave behind. Photos courtesy: Don Bartletti, Los Angeles Times and CBC.

Students from Woodlawn High School in Birmingham, Ala. interview their peers and teachers about the impacts of Alabama's controversial new immigration law.

At Holocaust museum, Obama touts new tech sanctions against human rights abuses.

Investors and entrepreneurs complain that the startup visa is being confused with wider immigration policy, and that it is stifling innovation.