Papers: Stories of Undocumented Youth

An overlooked segment in the hot-button debate regarding illegal immigration to the United States are children who are either born in the U.S. or brought across the border at a very young age. Maturing within the school system, speaking perfect English, and mastering job skills, many of these kids are unaware that they have no legal status once they turn 18, when they will face possible deportation—effectively being punished for circumstances beyond their control. Filmmaker Anne Galisky looks at several individual cases, including Monica, whose Guatemalan parents are left in legal limbo awaiting the government's decision about granting political asylum; and well-spoken, literate Jorge, whose homosexuality adds an additional layer of exclusion. The point is made that these “undocumented children” who were once-promising students often become apathetic and deflated as they age, drop out, and find no path in life, while the DREAM Act, favored by President Obama as a way toward citizenship for the undocumented, is offered as a solution. Unfortunately, while passionate in its advocacy, Papers rambles into tangents on racism, the internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII, Chinese labor on the western frontier, and other topics to suggest that illegal immigrants are unfairly scapegoated during economic downturns (such as the present). Between that and the oft-static talking-head presentation (including lawyers, legislators, educators, and activists), much could have been trimmed from this film that seeks to speak for the voiceless and unrepresented. DVD extras include three featurettes. Optional. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)