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BORDER WAR

"The Battle Over Illegal Immigration"

What You Need To Know:

BORDER WAR is a revealing documentary that rips back the curtain on illegal immigrants coming into the United States through Mexico. The documentary examines the political, social and philosophical aspects of this hot-button issue. It also follows several individuals, from different points of view, who find themselves on the front lines of this battle. One issue raised by the movie is that the drug cartels in Mexico are behind a large part of illegal immigration in what the U.S. government calls “human smuggling.”

BORDER WAR is well done. It presents opinions from both sides of the immigration issue, but the filmmakers definitely lean in the direction of stronger border enforcement. Media-wise parents should be aware that this documentary is not for younger children, because there is some discussion of violent incidents and one incident where a woman describes how she was molested by illegal immigrants when she was 12. Teenagers, however, may enjoy this documentary as it could create stimulating discussion between them and their parents. The documentary contains no real violence, no depicted sex or nudity, and very light foul language. Thus, MOVIEGUIDE® recommends BORDER WAR for its current social relevance.

Content:

(BB, P, AP, CC, PC, L, V, S, DD, M) Strong moral, but politically-oriented, worldview presents several sides of the argument of illegal immigration, including both positive and negative discussions of current U.S. laws, Christian compassion, political correctness, the Bush presidential administration, and racism, with the movie siding toward controlling the borders and preventing illegal immigration; two light obscenities and one light profanity; no violence shown, but discussion of violence such as human smuggling, an “east-German” style Border Patrol, a re-telling of a police officer being shot dead by an illegal immigrant, and another verbal description of migrants who slaughtered a new-born calf just so they could eat; no depicted sex, but a woman describes how she was sexually molested by illegal immigrants when she was 12; no nudity; no alcohol; drug references include discussions of Mexican drug cartels making drug runs across the border, and a government storage facility containing confiscated drugs is shown; and, miscellaneous immorality includes discussions of human smuggling, racial slurs are yelled during a rally, racial comments referring to the “brown race,” and the entire documentary is about people breaking current U.S. law through illegal immigration.

More Detail:

BORDER WAR is a revealing documentary that rips back the curtain on illegal immigration into the United States through Mexico. The documentary examines the political, social and even philosophical aspects of this current hot-button issue. It also follows several individuals, from different points of view, who find themselves on the front lines of this battle.

In Nogales, Ariz., over 4,000 illegal immigrants cross over the border and into the United States each day. Border Patrol agent Jose Maheda comments that, even though they capture nearly 1,000 people a day, there is still not enough manpower to stop everyone who comes across.

This problem is felt not only in Nogales but also from California all the way to the halls of Congress in Washington DC. There, in the nation’s capitol, Congressman J.D. Hayworth fights for the Enforcement First Immigration Act, a law that would strengthen the borders as well as increase the financial penalties on any U.S. company that would seek to exploit illegal immigrants for cheap labor.

The story also follows Ms. Lupe Moreno, the daughter of a former “safe-house” operator for illegal immigrants, who now heads the Latino Americans for Immigration Reform. As a 12-year-old, Lupe was the victim of molestation by illegal immigrants who stayed at her father’s “safe-house.” She feels that there are legal ways to enter the U.S. and that our current border system is creating an entire social group of criminals forced to live in the shadows.

Then there is Teri March, the widow of a police officer who was shot execution-style during a routine traffic stop by an illegal immigrant who did not want to be caught and sent back to Mexico. In several touching scenes, the audience sees the effects of a woman whose husband was killed by someone who has been forced to live in those shadows.

On the other side of the debate is Enrique Morones, the head of a group called Border Angels. The Border Angels help immigrants to cross the border safely by providing food, water and blankets in over 100 desert sites. Morones says, “We didn’t cross the border, the border crossed us.” He also feels that he responds to a higher power than government – a power that says, “When I was hungry, you gave me food; and when I was thirsty, you gave me drink.” Morones believes, “The migrants are the heroes.”

Another issue raised in the documentary is that the drug cartels in Mexico are actually behind a large part of illegal immigration in what the U.S. government calls “human smuggling.” The Border Patrol works tirelessly to save the lives of the immigrants, who have paid the cartels to get them into the U.S., but then the cartels leave the immigrants in the middle of the desert to die.

BORDER WAR is well done. It presents opinions from both sides of the immigration issue, but the producers, Citizens United, definitely lean in the direction of stronger border enforcement. The documentary also criticizes the current Bush presidential administration and its stance on immigration reform. However, the documentary, as a whole, is non-partisan as it attacks the dangers of weak borders, even saying at one point that “The right view immigrants as cheap labor and the Left view them as cheap votes.”

Media-wise parents should be aware that this documentary is not for younger children, because it does contain some discussion of violence and a description of how a woman was molested by illegal immigrants when she was 12. Teenagers, however, may enjoy this documentary as it could create a stimulating discussion between them and their parents. Thus, MOVIEGUIDE® recommends this documentary for its social relevance and informative stance.

In the Bible, God commands His people to treat aliens with as much compassion as they would treat anyone else, but He also requires aliens to obey the laws of the countries to which they travel.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.