Borderland | The Line Within is a timely film revealing the profiteering of the border industry and the massive infrastructure built to imprison and deport millions of people at the border and beyond. It primarily focuses on the story of Gabriela Castañeda and Kaxh Mura’l, immigrants from Mexico and Guatemala respectively, looking for a better life and asylum in the U.S. It emphasizes their work as organizers as well as the many organizations looking to support immigrants in this country. Gabriela and Kaxh’s stories show how it often takes years, even decades, to finally be allowed to reside in the U.S. legally.
Borderland goes beyond depicting the personal toll of leaving your homeland and the massive effort it takes to push against a system that dehumanizes and villainizes migrants. Throughout the film, three “Digital Humanists” talk about their research that details all the corporations and politicians – both Republican and Democrat – that benefit from the criminalization of immigrants. They explain how “this is a business that benefits from the dehumanization of people.” They track all the detention centers scattered throughout the U.S. and point out how this infrastructure was in place long before Trump’s aggressive attacks on immigrant communities.
Focusing on the organizing efforts of immigrants themselves gives an empowering message about the capacity we all have to become active and stand in solidarity with the most marginalized people of this society. Gabriela and other activists make the connection to how this isn’t just an unfair legal system but one of unfair distribution of wealth. When politicians are pocketing millions and corporations are making billions off surveillance data of immigrants who arrive often without a penny to their name, it shows the stark reality of the priorities of this system. Borderland helps the audience dig deeper into the immigration issue and raise questions about what it will really take to end the attacks on these communities.
You can learn more about screenings and how to watch the film at Skylight: https://borderland.skylight.is/
