The Deportation of Innocence

U.S. immigration policy continues to be one of the most divisive political issues in America—even more so following Donald Trump's election as president—making filmmaker Francisco Alarcon's documentary a timely one. The Deportation of Innocence captures the effect of deportation procedures on families who are literally torn apart—children who witness parents being arrested and removed from their homes, and parents who are not only separated from their children but could also lose them to foster care and even adoption. Four immigrant families are the primary focus here, with kids and adults testifying to the impact that the experience has had on their lives. They act as witnesses to a system that might require children born in the U.S. to renounce their American citizenship and emigrate to Mexico to be reunited with deported parents (and then face the difficulty of integrating into an unfamiliar society), or make parents go through complicated legal requirements in order to be reunited with children taken into custody by the U.S. government (a process that can take up to two years). The documentary also includes contextual background information from immigration experts such as Professor David Fitzgerald of the University of California at San Diego, as well as personal reflections from people who work with immigrant families, including social worker Mary Galvan; Father Patrick Murphy, who directs a migrant shelter in Tijuana; and lawyer Daniel Bribiesca, who tries to reunite affected families. Alarcon's poignant film raises the question of how seriously we take the idea of family. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)