A Serious Look at Immigration.

A Serious Look at Immigration.  Like many of the big problems facing America today….abortion, capital punishment, fiscal restraint of government vs. social needs, the need for and balance of U.S. international leadership in many avenues, race relations, the proper level of government involvement in our personal lives….there is no simple solution to the immigration challenges facing our nation.  The majority of the rhetoric that I read and hear takes place either in a right-wing vacuum where all illegal aliens are deported and every foot of border is fenced or a leftist view that virtually eliminates all border security, grants universal amnesty to illegal immigrants, and  grants instantaneous government benefits to all.  This is not the real world that we all live, work, and die in.  The problem is much more complex than that and any solution must be slowly and deliberately devised and applied.

Any person who wants to begin a serious consideration of the immigration question should watch the movie Frontera.  This is a 2014 movie starring Ed Harris and is directed by Michael Berry.  It is quite possibly the most balanced and unbiased movie I have seen that deals with a controversial topic.  One of my biggest pet peeves about Hollywood these days is the incessant “in your face” agenda that the movies shove towards you.  It seems that everyone has a righteous cause and you are either with them and a good person or you are against it and evil.   To me, Frontera gives the viewer a realistic glimpse into some of the concerns swirling around the immigration debate; and it does it in an entertaining and responsible fashion.  It deals with real people, real situations, respects the dignity and foibles of both Americans and Mexicans, and best of all, allows the viewer to judge what is valid and what is not. 

 

At the end of the day, so many of society’s problems, not American society but the world’s society, boil down to dignity, freedom,  and respect for the individual.  I believe those were two of the primary forces that helped to create and shape this great nation we all live in.  We need to somehow, as a people, find our way back to those principles.