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‘Immigration Nation’ Netflix Series Shows the Cruelty of Our Broken Immigration System
Netflix’s new six-part documentary series, Immigration Nation, provides an insider look to the intricacy system of our U.S. Customs Border Protection and the outcome of their deterrent strategies.
The six-hour series encompasses the perspectives of border security enforcement officers, the constraints of being an asylum refugee immigrant, the continually battles activist members must fight for human rights of undocumented immigrants, and the several thousands of immigrants leaving their countries to seek safety under the United States of America.
Before diving into the complexities of the discussion, we must refer back to the U.S. immigration timeline where many restrictions were beginning to take form to halt Asain immigrants from migrating over during World War I.
The Immigration Act of 1917 prevented many Asain immigrants from migrating over and this soon created a chain of laws and legislations in place that created immensely difficult hurdles to jump through in order to obtain a legal green card.
History repeats itself and in our timeline, we’re seeing a new wave of xenophobia becoming apparent against Mexicans, Central Americans, and various Latin Americans.
Immigration Nation doesn’t shy away from the cruel tactics that Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducts. Under the Clinton administration, there was an increased budget to secure the Southern border and during this time the American people began associating immigrants with ‘criminals’. This shift in perspective truly allowed the next administration to push for more weaponization, stricter restrictions, longer background checks, and it’s what pushed our asylum system to a breaking point.
There’s a reason why many immigrants rather risk their lives crossing the Arizona desert and spend numerous ferocious hot days with no water or food to supplement themselves. The legal immigration asylum system is broken in this country.
