LatinaLista — Since President Obama declared that deferring deportation to undocumented youth was “the right thing to do,” critics of his Executive Action continue to publicly cast doubt on his wisdom.
Yet anyone who has ever known an undocumented youth knows there’s no reason to doubt any move that helps these students have an opportunity for a good future. The problem is that the majority, if not all, the critics who are so strong in denouncing undocumented youth don’t know one — and if they do know one they probably don’t know that they do.
A new film, Illegal, highlights several undocumented youth attempts to introduce people who don’t know undocumented youth to who some of them are, what they do in their lives and what they’re hoping for the future.
Through a series of interviews with undocumented kids, activists, policymakers, non-profit leaders, educators and members of the clergy, Illegal seeks to raise the consciousness level of the American public regarding the importance of full immigration reform. Though an important step was taken with the president’s order to halt the deportations of some young undocumented residents, we must remember that his executive order could change as early as January under a new administration. Our work is far from over.
