Not everyone wants to be in the United States.

In his documentary, “The Other Side of Immigration,” Roy Germano tackles the controversial topic of immigration from the perspective of the immigrants themselves.

At the first Kozmetsky Center event of the semester, Germano screened his film in Jones Auditorium and held a question-and-answer session about the documentary.

Germano created the film during the process of his research for his doctorate in government. The film grew out of his desire to share information and try to make a difference.

“The level of inequality in Mexico is out of this world,” Germano said. “You have an interesting situation here in Texas because you have a long history of migration.”

Germano said most Americans view Mexican migrants as people who want to come to live in the United States permanently.

However, many of the people he interviewed spoke of migration to America as a temporary situation—a means to an end—and a way to provide for their families.

One migrant can make $70-80 for a day’s work in the United States, versus $13 per day in Mexico. Many of the migrants come from rural towns where agriculture and other industries can no longer support the economic demand. In some of these towns, over half of the population has migrated to the United States at some time or another.

In the film, Germano says, “To understand Mexican immigration, we must understand towns like these.”

Many of the people interviewed in the documentary are former migrants or people whose family members are currently in the United States trying to earn money to support them.

“Really a lot of these people just want to go home and be with their families,” Germano said. “But they don’t want to go home empty handed.”

One woman in the film, Carolina had six children in the United States and her husband had also migrated several times.

“I haven’t seen my daughter in seven years,” she said.

Carolina once received a phone call from her daughter, who said she was afraid to come home because it was so dangerous.

Smugglers tend to require $2,000-$3,000 to take someone to the United States, even after migrants have walked up to eight days through the desert to arrive at the border.

Many migrants wish a temporary work program existed that would allow them to spend six months working in the United States and six months living in Mexico, but such a program would require cooperation between the governments of both countries.

“I want this film to help people realize that we can get past [language barriers and misunderstandings],” Germano said.

Viewing the film influenced some students to raise questions about immigration.

“Why could [the U.S. government] not just spend the money [it’s] spending on the border fence on the very issues this film talks about?” asked Freshman Rian Lowe.

“It’s possible,” Germano said, “but there has to be a political will.”

One student asked Germano what he would do if someone at the White House saw his film.

“I’m working on it,” Germano said. “If I had the chance to sit down with Obama and Congress, I would love it. We need to work on a way to cooperate with the Mexican government on this issue.”

The film hasn’t yet made it to DVD, but Germano travels around the country and holds screenings. More information about the film and Roy Germano can be found at http://www.theothersideofimmigration.com. Film news can also be found on Facebook on “The Other Side of Immigration” fan page.

“I’m encouraging people to write their Congress workers,” Germano said in parting. “There’s so much value to information and understanding the shoes people are walking in. Deep down we are all just human beings trying to get by.”

 

[email protected]