Audience Member
Estimates are that one in thirty people in the US is an illegal immigrant, so this is an issue affecting everyone. However, this film should have more aptly been titled "An Hour and A Half with the Minutemen". There is an obvious pro-US/anti-illegal immigration agenda being promoted, which is hard to disagree with, but providing a one-sided argument does not challenge viewers. This could have been a Minutemen recruiting video if they had included cowboys jumping over walls, belly crawling, smashing pinatas and traversing jungle gyms. Since when has Lou Dobbs been a credible source of information worthy of written quotations? That being said, Border does paint a vivid picture of the negative aspects of illegal immigration, including the strain on public resources, human trafficking, rape trees, littering, harassing ranchers, drug smuggling, and death(including graphic pictures of desiccated corpses). The film already seems dated, as the role of the Minutemen has faded from the national spotlight and the multi-billion dollar border fence is in progress and the film only foretells of the increased violence of Mexican drug traffickers of late. Instead of focusing on patrols, it would have been nice to spend additional time investigating more intelligent solutions, such as the one expert promoting temporary work permits with withholdings paid upon exiting the country. If you have a red, white and blue cowboy hat in your hat collection or a Lou Dobbs tattoo you will love this film, otherwise as a documentary its just ok.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Even more eye opening than Border War, the 2006 documentary by Citizens United. I thought that showed U.S.-Mexico border nastiness, but Border goes even further and it's worse than you ever thought.
Chris Burgard, who made this with nothing more than a home video camera and a big RV to get around in, doesn't showcase right or left opinion. He shows reality and lets you reach your own conclusion. He comes right out and says he's a classic libertarian and that mind set is exactly where this documentary comes from. The expose starts with a protest, illegal alien supporters on one side and those who support border control on the other. One of the more vocal anti-illegal protesters is an Iranian immigrant, a guy whom the illegal supporters start shouting, "Hey, sandnigger! You're not white, you're brown!" amid their snickers and giggles. It's always whites accused of racism and bigotry when they fly the American flag and demand immigration law be followed, but the only racism I see comes from the illegal alien advocates.
One of the most startling horrors shown is that of the coyotes, the people who lead Mexicans over the border for a hefty fee and violate young women in the process at their leisure. The underwear of these women is often hung on trees as a warning to others. This and the other problems caused by illegal border crossing, and not just the fact that our laws are being broken, but the social and environmental effects. Piles and piles of trash left by groups of illegals, armed men bringing drugs over the border, farmers living there fearing for their lives no matter how many big dogs and barbed wire fencing they have. It's like a war zone. To help fight, the Minutemen came into the picture and their efforts are documented by Burgard.
Burgard also goes to Washington, DC, trying to get politicians to answer his questions but they won't. He talks to an old DC insider whose name and face are concealed. He explains that in DC it's all one big political party, they're all in bed with each other and nothing important gets done as a result. Burgard encounters some hostile locals while walking around in his cowboy hat and boots, called a redneck and a racist based solely on his attire by a group of obviously new age hippie types. Once again, the only racism...
Bottom line is that this is required viewing for every citizen.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/18/23
Full Review
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