¶ … Immigration The author of this report is asked to watch, summarize and assess the implications and points made by the documentary titled The Other Side of Immigration by Roy Germano. In addition to that, the author is asked to offer opinions and analysis of whether or how reform in the United States should be structured, how the a guest worker program should be structured, what is slowing down immigration reform in Washington and whether there is a negative impact caused by illegal immigration in the United States. Lastly, the author will point to the portrayal of the immigrants in the movie and whether there is a bias involved with the documentary.

Review of Film

In watching the film, the basic premise and summary of the film is that the illegal or even legal immigrants from Mexico and the struggle they face as well as the reasons why the keep trying to get to the United States. The film clearly focuses on the human side of illegal immigration and softens the image that a lot of people impose regarding illegal immigration. The film takes a much more open view and does a very good job of posing the different sides of the argument while including details and perspectives that are often omitted when the topic is discussed in the blogosphere or the broader media.

Any reform should be in the form of broad immigration reform and this would include securing the border, establishing a guest worker program and handling the legal status of the illegal immigrants currently in the United States. Doing the guest worker program and securing the border tightly would be essential and the established rules would have to be followed consistently or the framework would be rampantly abused....

Felons and people with extensive misdemeanor past should be deported as well because working and living in the United States is a privilege, not a right. Lastly, whatever is necessary to secure the borders, up to and including putting the military and/or the National Guard on the border while the fences and other physical barriers are strengthened, should be done as a porous border (and this includes both the Mexican border and the Canadian border) is security risk. It is true that Latinos are not typically involved in risks to the republic but people of all backgrounds cross those two borders at one time or another.
As for what is slowing down reform in Washington, it is a confluence of different and competing issues. Some lawmakers take a "rule or law" stance that, at least in some cases, borders on xenophobia or even racism. However, believing in the idea that people should obey the law, in and of itself, is not wrong. Others suggest that compassion should be allowed for and that a worker program and mass legalization, at least one more time, should be done because deporting 12 million illegal immigrants is a logistical impossibility. Others still are clearly pandering politically to people that could potentially become citizens down the road and/or to the families of illegals that are already legal citizens. Many Latino advocacy groups will speak volumes…