Stephanie Wadley
Introduction
Is someone you know an immigrant? In many Latinx films, there are many immigrants who are trying to come to the United States to start a new life. Migrating to the United States is a hard and long process that families go through all the time. These are only a few examples of becoming a legal immigrant in the United States: you must be able to speak, write, and read basic English, be at least eighteen years old, know about the U.S. history and government, and take an oath of allegiance to America. Hispanics have been misrepresented in the United States which leads to stereotypes that get passed down. In this paper, you will see how Hispanic films, stereotypes, and women are represented through the hard and long journey they have to go through to become a US citizen.
This image is what the immigration process should look like to people coming from different countries to America.
This photo shows a coyote leading Enrique and Rosa through a dangerous tunnel from Mexico to the US in the film, El Norte.
This picture is Enrique trying to get a job for below minimum wage because he is an illegal immigrant from the film, El Norte.
This photo shows Mariana and her children sleeping on a bench because she cannot afford to live in another place in the film, Entre Nos.
This image is after Mariana gets kicked out of her living space for not being able to pay rent because she does not have a real paying job in Entre Nos.
Analysis
There are many instances where Americans are told false information from media sources. The mainstream medias who are anti-immigration tell the people that illegal immigrants are inferior and should not be let into the United States. This is sad because in many Hispanic films, they are centered around immigration stories which are very emotional and have to do with leaving family behind. What the news does not tell you is how rough the Hispanic immigration experiences are. Throughout the Hispanic films, we are able to see constant struggle and helplessness. Films are one of the only ways the true immigration process is truly being shown and are very helpful when a person who is already a citizen of the United States is trying to understand what really goes on while migrating north. Moving from a home to a completely different place where they are living illegally is hard enough mentally, but having people that do not make you feel welcome makes the process even harder. Americans are unsighted of these stories because they are not being told on media outlets. Rather only the negatives of immigration are shown on the news. Hopefully one day, Americans will accept our diverse world and help out the Hispanic immigrants who are struggling in finding a new and better life.
Works Cited
La Morte and Paola Mendoza, Gloria. Entre Nos. 2009.
Latinx Ciné in the Twenty-First Century, edited by Frederick Luis Aldama, University of
Arizona Press, 2019. ProQuest Ebook Central, (Part III)
Lind, D. Why border crossings are at an 11-year high, explained in 500 words.
Nava, Gregory. El Norte. Cinecom Pictures, 1983.