Arizona is stuck in the heated center of the immigration debate, and
after years of failed strategies, it’s hardly surprising that the
debate led to an effort to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico
border.
But a new documentary—made by filmmaker and actor John Carlos
Frey—that follows the construction of that wall makes the case
that we need to put the wall on hold, and instead seek out a truly
effective solution.
The 800 Mile Wall documents the construction of the new
border wall, a project that has already proven to be extremely costly
and far too deadly. Frey’s previous films (The Gatekeeper, The
Invisible Mexicans of Deer Canyon) also explore the complex
struggles of migrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border and live as
undocumented workers. However, The 800 Mile Wall has
particularly strong ties to Tucson. Including interviews with local
humanitarian workers, immigration experts and politicians, the
90-minute film offers a comprehensive look at the events that got us
into this situation—and shows why we so desperately need to find
a way out.
Since construction of the wall began, more than 5,000 migrant bodies
have been recovered from the desert; however, the exact death toll
along the U.S.-Mexico border is impossible to know.
“The more walls we have, the more deaths we have,” declares Sue
Goodman, the executive director of Humane Borders, a local volunteer
organization responsible for setting up water stations in the desert to
help thirsty migrants. She explains that the first border walls, built
in the 1990s in San Diego and El Paso, were successful at keeping
immigrants from crossing in those urban areas. But by eliminating these
urban routes, immigrants are now left with no choice but to cross over
the border in the wilderness—meaning migrants have been forced
into dangerous and deadly territory.
Most supporters of the wall hope that the barrier will deter illegal
entry attempts into the United States, especially when combined with
high-tech surveillance towers, new retrofitted vehicles, ground sensors
and an increased border patrol presence overall. However, Goodman says
these efforts are unlikely to be successful.
“Surveillance can’t detain,” Goodman says. As a result,
she—along with volunteers at Humane Borders and other
organizations working along the border—believes “there is no
benefit” to the wall.
Since putting up their first water station in 2001, Humane Borders
has been a leader of local humanitarian efforts to put an end to border
fatalities and come up with a real, equally beneficial border policy.
Humane Borders is motivated by faith to help find a safe, practical and
effective immigration policy, and to prevent migrant deaths along the
border until one is found. In order to do so, they operate more than 80
water stations near the border. Along with large barrels of water, each
station is equipped with first-aid kits, emergency rations and, in the
winter, warm clothes.
The screenings of The 800 Mile Wall at the church that
doubles as Humane Borders’ headquarters will bring together efforts to
inform the community, offering members of the public a chance to
discuss and formulate possible solutions to a problem facing the entire
country.
Although the film does not offer its own concrete solution to our
immigration dilemmas, Goodman sees the film as being motivational. She
says it “inspires people to do the right thing” and to “look for a more
creative solution.”
Frey seems to agree. In The 800 Mile Wall, he asks, “Does it
work? Do we need to spend billions to build fencing and technology?
Should we do anything about migrant deaths? Is there a solution?”
This article appears in Jun 4-10, 2009.