El Inmigrante

John Sheedy, David Eckenrode, and John Eckenrode share directorial credit for this true-life crime documentary set against the tumultuous illegal immigration debate. In May 2000, a young Mexican named Eusebio de Haro illegally crossed the Texas border and stopped at the Kinney County home of Sam and Brenda Blackwood to ask for water. The Blackwoods initially sent him away, but then followed him in a truck. After a brief chase, Sam Blackwood shot de Haro in the thigh and left him to bleed to death. Although initially charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, the words “deadly weapon” were dropped from Blackwood's indictment and his motives were never publicly explained (he eventually received a suspended sentence for a misdemeanor). El Inmigrante repeatedly detours from covering this baffling case to look at the wider story of the seemingly endless stream of illegal immigration flowing north from Mexico. The filmmakers conduct interviews on both sides, presenting comments from migrants en route to America, as well as federal Border Patrol officers and self-appointed vigilantes. Unfortunately, the shopworn material on the illegal immigration debate detracts somewhat from the compelling story of the de Haro case. DVD extras include three unexceptional featurettes. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)