Ni Aquí Ni AlláCrossing the United States Border

Elizabeth RodriguezSenior Thesis I | Paul Carlos | Fall 2012

Thesis Proposal

My thesis is about immigrant’s struggles to get to the United States illegally. It will be a short video series of documentaries. These videos will be of people’s struggles to cross the United States bor-der, not only the Mexico – US border but from other countries as well. Along with the videos will be a book of video stills, as a gift to those who allowed me to interview them. These videos are for first generation Americans who are familiar to their parents and their people’s struggles. It is for young Americans to understand what people have to go through just to get their “American dream”. I want to put a face on the “anonymous” because immigrants who cross the border illegally never have a face, their stories are never told. It is relevant because illegally crossing the border has al-ways been an issue and it is one where no one fully understands. Most people see the people who illegally cross the border are “evil people” trying to get into “our” country but no one ever bothers to ask these people their stories. These videos will be telling the viewer about the sacrifices they had to take, like being so close to dying, leaving family behind and coming into a place they don’t know the language, people, place they are in and playing the odds.

“Yet even though I think of myself as an Amercan and consider America my country, my country doesn’t think of me as one of its own.’’ Jose Vargas

”

Jose Vargas is a journalist for the Washington Post who at a very young age was put on a plane with his uncle to the US from the Philippines. At the age of 17 he decided to get his driver license and was denied because all of his documentation were fake. For the first time, his grandparents told him that when he was younger he was sent here not with an uncle, but with a coyote. Jose Vargas had to live in the US having to lie about the truth of his immigration status.

Research

397,000 People were deported during 2011

65,000 illegal students graduate from high school

The Dream Act gives permanent residency to undocumented high-school graduates

It is estimates that there is 2.1 million undocumented children and young adults living in the US

56% of people caught in the mexican border have been caught previously

In 2011, there was 327,577 people attempting to cross the border illegaly, which has lowered by more then half since 2007

In 2011, The US border patrol found 268 people dead

Border Protection has Doubled in size since 2004

Border Safety Initative was created to reduce the amount of deaths on the border

No mas cruces is a campaign educating people about the dangers of crossing the border

Inspiration

This is an image of Border Volleyball. It inspired this project because it mocks the idea behind a border. It also connects to different countries by playing a sport that needs a border.

The Border Film Project is a book of photography. The artist of this book, took disposable cameras to people on the border shelters and to minute-men and asked them to take pictures.

This is one of the images inside the Border Film Project. It depicts the damages to his feet af-ter crossing the border.

This is one of the images inside the Border Film Project. It depicts the minute-man.

This is a Video Still of No mas Cruces which educates people who are thinking of crossing the border about the dangers of the border.

This is also a video still from No mas Cruces depicting dead bod-ies in the middle of the desert as a warning.

Precious Knowledge is a website hosting a series of videos about ethnic studies.

Los que se quedan is a documentary about the families of the peo-ple who decided to cross the US border.

Components

2 Thesis ProposalSeries of Videos

Book

Interveiws of immigrants journey to the US

Sketches

Ni Ni

Ni Ni

PrototypeVideo Stills

“No se me olvida de donde vengo por eso participo en esta celebracion”

This is raw footage of one of people I will be interviewing. He is participating in an Aztec

celebration by preforming a dance.

“I don’t forget where I come from, that is why I participate in this celebration”

PrototypeBook

ARMANDOMEXICO TO NEW YORK

Armando was born in Puebla, Mexico. At the Age of 17, he made the decision that he will cross the border in search for a better future. He has crossed the border seven times.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

6 26

46 66

86

126

106

146

Puebla

Tijuana

Mexico

Los Angeles

New YorkUnited States of America

From: Mexico To: New York City

Crossing the border is much more difficult then just crossing. When you get caught, you feel like a roach because you know you don’t belong there but it’s the only way to find a better life for yourself. My first time... Many take a plane from Mexico to Tijuana. Which was 3 days and 2 nights on a bus. All I had to eat was mangos.

ARMANDOMEXICO TO NEW YORK

Armando was born in Puebla, Mexico. At the Age of 17, he made the decision that he will cross the border in search for a better future. He has crossed the border seven times.

We got to Tijuana we tried to cross but we couldn’t so they returned us.

and that time we passed. We got to Los Angeles, and from there, New York.

I TRIED AGAIN and I TRIED AGAIN

I HAD TO STAY

Well, we got to the house of... SUPPOSEDLY,FRIENDS I got there with my cousin...My cousin was here... But he wasn’t working.

We didn’t have where to stay and the supposedly friends instead of helping us, they sent us to sleep in the train. I stayed there by force, in that house, even though they didn’t want me but I stayed I had to, I didn’t have anywhere to go and I didn’t know anyone and

The worst attempt to cross the border... I had on shoes and not sneakers, we walked a lot at night and my legs got messed up...And there was moments where I couldn’t walk anymore from the pain of my feet and legs and the trees that would cut me had thorns. I couldn’t walk anymore and all my friends were gone and it was night so I couldn’t see them. So I stayed behind because I couldn’t walk and they could and the coyotes would yell and

and I caught up only because they had stopped to rest. Water ran out, until we found a river and we had to drink the dirty water. And we walked and when the sun was rising... Since I was the sick one they put me in front so I wouldn’t stay behind and a rattle snake chased me and I couldn’t run or anything and the snake behind me and just ahead we got robbed from some robbers, by our own people (Mexicans) they robbed us they took all our money... everything.

I WAS SCARED, COULDN’T RUN OR WALK

I couldn’t think right and at night at the point where I was about to faint I couldnt walk anymore. You appeared. It was a what do you call it a hallucination. You didnt say anything you would do this to your hand like saying to walk …When I most needed it, you appeared like saying...Come dad, I’ll help you, I’ll help you and it gave me the strength to keep walking but once I saw you I couldn’t think straight all I thought was Elizabeth is here?

YOU APPEARED

JOAQUINMEXICO TO NEW YORK

Joaquin was born in Puebla, Mexico. At the Age of 18 he wanted to join his bother in NYC.

Cave, Damien. “IMMIGRATION UPENDED | THE YO-YO EFFECT; Crossing Over, and Over.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 03 Oct. 2011. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. <http://www.nytimes. com/2011/10/03/world/americas/mexican-im migrants-repeatedly-brave-risks-to-resume- lives-in-united-states.html?pagewanted=all>.

Lerner, Gabriel. “How Many People Have Really Been Deported Under Obama?” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 01 Mar. 2012. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. <http://www.huffing tonpost.com/2012/03/01/deportation-numbers- obama_n_1314916.html>.

Moreno, Carolina. “Border Crossing Deaths More Common As Illegal Immigration Declines.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 17 Aug. 2012. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. <http://www.huff ingtonpost.com/2012/08/17/border-crossing- deaths-illegal-immigration_n_1783912.html>.

“The DREAM Act.” Immigration Policy Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. <http://www.immigration policy.org/just-facts/dream-act>.Bibliography