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Critical Incident: Death at the Border

Play trailer Poster for Critical Incident: Death at the Border 2025 1h 27m Crime Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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CRITICAL INCIDENT revisits the 2010 death of Anastasio Hernández-Rojas, an undocumented Mexican immigrant who died while in custody at the border. When eye-witness video emerges, it sparks a far-reaching investigation from a border checkpoint to Washington D.C. CRITICAL INCIDENT chronicles journalists', lawyers', and family members' efforts to explore the Border Patrol's involvement in the incident, ultimately pointing to cover-ups, and uncovering the existence of a little-known unit inside the agency that had been involved in other border related incidents. In 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection disbanded the Critical Incident Teams, and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights held a hearing on the Anastasio Hernandez-Rojas case, ultimately calling for the reopening of the case and recognizing that Hernandez-Rojas' human rights had been violated during his arrest.
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Critical Incident: Death at the Border

Critics Reviews

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Chris Vognar Boston Globe Dec 24
“Critical Incident” is an important film, but watching it never feels like eating your vegetables. Director Rick Rowley... wrings thrills from all of that digging and the process of speaking truth to power. Go to Full Review Christopher Campbell Nonfics (Substack) Dec 29
While essential coverage of this story, Critical Incident, unfortunately, feels like old news. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Cassandra S @casi808 Jan 3 Many reviews feel politically motivated rather than based on the film itself. Border Patrol accountability is an important topic, but this documentary doesn’t deliver the evidence or storytelling needed to make its case land. The film exposes an unauthorized unit, yet offers minimal supporting footage. The main arrest shown involves an illegal act, and while excessive force is never acceptable, the documentary fails to show clear proof it occurred in this instance. Ironically, it only briefly mentions a far stronger example—a teen shot for throwing rocks—which better reflects the disturbing force the film aimed to highlight and would have made a much more compelling narrative focus. Important subject, weak execution. Underwhelming evidence, missed opportunity. See more KURT G @HonestReviewer2000 Jan 1 The Obama Administration was renown for being callous and inhumane at the border during its tenure, which is obviously when this incident took place in 2010. Well done documentary. See more Read all reviews
Critical Incident: Death at the Border

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Cast & Crew

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Rick Rowley

Director

Karim Hajj

Producer

A.C. Thompson

Executive Producer

Nathan Ross

Executive Producer

Jean-Marc Vallée

Executive Producer

Michael Antinoro

Executive Producer
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Critical Incident: Death at the Border

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Movie Info

Synopsis CRITICAL INCIDENT revisits the 2010 death of Anastasio Hernández-Rojas, an undocumented Mexican immigrant who died while in custody at the border. When eye-witness video emerges, it sparks a far-reaching investigation from a border checkpoint to Washington D.C. CRITICAL INCIDENT chronicles journalists', lawyers', and family members' efforts to explore the Border Patrol's involvement in the incident, ultimately pointing to cover-ups, and uncovering the existence of a little-known unit inside the agency that had been involved in other border related incidents. In 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection disbanded the Critical Incident Teams, and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights held a hearing on the Anastasio Hernandez-Rojas case, ultimately calling for the reopening of the case and recognizing that Hernandez-Rojas' human rights had been violated during his arrest.
Director
Rick Rowley
Producer
Karim Hajj
Distributor
HBO
Production Co
HBO Documentary Films, Crazyrose, Film 45, Midnight Films
Genre
Crime, Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 29, 2025
Runtime
1h 27m
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