Analysis Of Wetback: The Undocumented Immigrant Film

Wetback: the Undocumented immigrant Documentary is an excellent film by Arturo Pereze Torres and Heather Haynes. The undocumented immigrant documentary is an eye opening, showing immigrants who go in search of the “ American Dream.” This film showed immigrants are an unstoppable a river of humanity that no amount of police force can stop them.

Applying these basic theories, the undocumented immigrant issue becomes more complex and goes beyond the technicality of breaking of laws, however, it rather becomes a product of changes in American economic systems. It is interesting to explore this issue under two basic theories that deals with conflict/feminist theory and social justice. The purpose of this paper is to explore and expose

some ideas on a recurrent social issue.
The first theory to be explored is the conflict/feminist. This theory deals with ideas development of the social and economic systems. The second theory to be covered is social justice, the theory described as the upholding the condition that in a perfect world, all citizens would have equal “rights, protection, opportunities, obligations, and social benefits,” regardless of their backgrounds and membership in diverse groups, (Barker, 2003).
Conflict/feminist
Conflict/feminist: the film showed a father and young daughter who ultimately make it, and two men who are left penniless by bandits and must go back home, and another pair who has been deported after capture just over the U.S. border.
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Self-determination: What a revealing documentary about the journey of 'undocumented' migrant workers through Central America and Mexico in hopes of reaching Canada or the United States to “live the American Dream”. The Documentary focused on immigrants from other Central American countries and not just Mexico alone. In the U.S. it was mostly about Mexican immigrants crossing the border. It was interesting to follow the journey of the men from Honduras too.
Liberal feminism: The steady stream of people coming to America’s shores has had a profound effect on the American character. It takes courage and flexibility to leave their homeland and come to a new country they know nothing about. The Americans had been noted for their willingness to take risks and try new things, for their independence and optimism. If Americans whose families have been here longer tend to take their material comfort and political freedoms for granted, immigrants are at hand to remind them how important those privileges are.
Socialist feminism: The film points out that only about 300 of the estimated 3,000 who leave every day will actually make it to their destination. The reason Americans can get bananas at 29¢ a pound is because agricultural laborers are paid a less-than-living wage, however, the policies have played no role in helping local economies. Beyond the pain of leaving their cultures and loved ones behind, the emigres face any number of perils, particularly once they have reached Mexico.

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Radical feminism: This system is based on competition, supply and demand, and the struggle between the working class providing cheap labor while the capitalist enjoy the fruits of that labor.
Postmodern feminism: The shot in a hospital ward full of those who have lost limbs falling from the sides of cargo train cars, which hundreds of travelers cling to every day is one heartbreaking sequence. The film showed one young man, both legs amputated, recounting calling the wife who was waiting for him in Virginia, telling her to “forget about him and go on with her life. He later said he is going back to his parent’s home that they will take care of him.
Empowerment: The Death Train part of this documentary is the most evocative and is an unforgettable one. However, it is really all about survival. Survivaling is what drives them to travel thousands of miles, facing Mexican police and gangs that rob and rape them, and the Border Patrol and the vigilantes in the U.S.
Consciousness raising: In the past many American writers emphasized the idea of the melting pot, an image that suggested newcomers would discard their old customs and adopt American ways. The children of the documented and undocumented immigrants learned English, but not their parents’ first language. However, Americans placed greater value on diversity, ethnic groups have renewed and celebrated their heritage, and the children of documented or undocumented immigrants often grow up being bilingual.

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Personal as political: This film highlights the catholic safe houses throughout Central America, Mexico, the United States, and Canada, and their rise in popularity. This film reveals the dangers migrants face long before they get to the vigilante Minutemen who patrol the border along with US and Mexican Border Patrols. From catching 'death trains' to Mexican gangs which rob and murder migrants on their way to the US and Canada from central American countries, the filmmakers take the viewer on a ride with brave people simply seeking a better life
The Importance of process: The film showed immigrants as they try to swim across the Rio Grande and follows U.S. Border Patrol agents who are trying to apprehend them. The film also shows the work of a group of local U.S. citizens who patrol the border as well, and reported what they find to the authorities. The movie showed where one person's old identification, one of these citizen patrol agents, remarks, “This guy has assumed a new identity and is now living in a town near you” how would patrol agents claimed that people crossing could be terrorists or dangerous criminals.
Positive approach: The film showed how social workers will be in dealing with clients, get to understand their cultural heritage and beliefs, stereotypes, discrimination and oppression of various diverse groups
Strengths: The film showed how the families’ capacities, the Importance of spirituality, self-esteem, and feelings of competency. The documentary is devoted to the harsh reality that the people from Central America face when crossing three thousand torturous Mexican miles in order to reach the U.S. border. However, because of corrupted police, organized gangs and the
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dangers of hitching rides in fast moving trains, the immigrants are robbed, raped, beaten, killed and maimed.

Those who have tried to make the journey many times compliment the U.S. authorities while having nothing but disgust for the treatment they receive in Mexico.

Culture: The Immigrants, however, enriches American communities by bringing aspects of their native cultures with them. Many black Americans now celebrate both Christmas and Kwanzaa, a festival drawn from African rituals. Hispanic Americans celebrate their traditions with street fairs and other festivities on Cinco de Mayo. The population of the United States is becoming increasingly diverse because in recent years, Hispanics and minority racial groups the non-Hispanic blacks, Asians, and American Indians, have each grown faster than the population as a whole.

Diversity: The undocumented immigrants acknowledge that they have to adapt to the American ways of life, however, they still do not feel they belong. The undocumented immigrate youth experience a shift from feeling a sense of belonging to feeling marginalized. The Immigration policies have become less welcoming as policymakers have begun to view immigrants as potential terrorist suspects.

Social and Economic

Justice
Social justice: Social worker need to change or influence in order to accomplish goals, social workers use every skill to promote human well-being for individuals, families, groups, organization, and communities. Their engagement, assessment, planning, Implementation, evaluation, termination, and follow-up, applying critical thinking skill, incorporating research-
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informed practice, applying professional values and ethics. Understand how diverse factors affect people’s life and understand human diversity. Emphasis on client empowerment, strengths, and resilience and then advocate for human rights and to pursue social and economic justice.
Advocacy:.The official commentators range from migrant advocates and safe-house operators to a U.S. Border Patrol agent and members of controversial citizens group Civil Homeland Defense in Texas and Arizona. Government policy that encourages diverse cultural immigrant over concentrated immigration is likely to increase the welfare of the population.
Economic justice: Hence, the values and beliefs held by people in the social environment that are strong enough to influence people’s activities.
Power, Privilage, and Acclaim: The film showed the priest offered compelling commentary and one of his anecdotes was extremely moving. The film showed that Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador were quite poor, but I did not realize that there were that many people making the long trek to try to get into the US because of lack of work.
Human rights: The government structures, laws that people are subject to, and the overall distribution of power among, population consider the public welfare grant program temporary assistance to needy families (TANF) was established by political forces on how needy children and their families are treated.
Populations-at- risk issues, Stereotypes, and Discrimination: Wetback film shows the poverty that drives workers across the borders.

Poverty that causes them to literally risk life and limb to get something for their family. It also shows the gains in the US and other countries from

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the undocumented workers in the country. Where unemployment is epidemic, inflation sky high and poor wages. Most, including a rising number of mothers leaving young children behind, see no other way to keep their families fed. The immigrants had been subject to a lot of issues how they came to America to take their jobs, the immigrants are willing to work tedious hours at a very low cost, however, this debate seems not to recognize that most of the jobs taken by immigrants would not be performed by any U.S., even when the payment and benefits associated with it were better.

Oppression: The capitalism and the eagerness produce a large gain by creating an outlet for lower wages offered to individuals willing to work anything below an acceptable standard only because of their desperation and desire to work to survive which in the other hand help the country income. Unlike Americans, undocumented immigrants often lack right or are unaware of provisions that protect them, whereas the Americans demand their rights and have ore of political

leverage.
Marginalization, Alienation, and Proverty: Economically speaking, the film uses more politically correct “ undocumented immigrants” euphemism, however, not considering that it benefits both countries involved. The undocumented immigrants that arrived in the country send enormous sums of money back home to their relatives, and they still pay U.S. taxes, while using a little or nothing of the social services.
Advocacy: Everyone has right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well being which including food, clothing, housing, medical care and social service. The code of ethics
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shared by all social workers provides an ideal foundation for social workers to pursue roles as social justice activists. Social workers develop skills to assert political views that embrace policy goals and advance social justice. To enhance their capacity for policy change, social workers would realign with the profession’s activist roots. The social work profession id positioned t play a critical role in redefining policies and attitudes surrounding historically marginalized immigrants in the U.S.