Leviticus 19:34 “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”
On October 2, 2019, the limited documentary Living Undocumented was put on Netflix. Actress and Singer, Selena Gomez serving as the executive producer. This is not the first time Gomez has worked behind the scenes, she also serves as the executive producer on the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why.
Living Undocumented is a 6-part documentary that follows the lives of 8 undocumented families, and the struggles and fears they face living in the United States under the current administration, as the president himself has made it his goal and campaign promise to remove all undocumented immigrants from this country.
What makes the Trump Administration’s immigration stance different from the Obama Administration is that the Obama Administration mainly focused on the deportation of serious criminals. While the Trump Administration works to deport all undocumented immigrants, meaning even a routine traffic stop could result in detainment.
The families in Living Undocumented come from a variety of countries and have an array of backgrounds: military family, business owner, construction worker, DACA student. The documentary makes it known that many of those whose lives are getting uprooted by the immigration policies are not criminals, but people who came to America seeking a better life for themselves and their families. Viewers watch as the undocumented members of the family must check-in with ICE officials, and some even get deported. Resulting in the ripping apart families and completely altering their way of life, as they must return to a country that is no longer their home.
Source: Netflix
In an exclusive Netflix roundtable interview titled What I Wish You Knew: About Living Undocumented, Gomez revealed: “a huge part of why I wanted to be a part of this is to also be a voice for so many people who can’t and are terrified to speak about it.”
In an editorial for Time Magazine written by Selena Gomez herself, she revealed why the topic of immigration was so important to her. “In the 1970s, my aunt crossed the border from Mexico to the United States hidden in the back of a truck. My grandparents followed, and my father was born in Texas soon after. In 1992, I was born a U.S. citizen thanks to their bravery and sacrifice.”
Infant Selena Gomez and her parents (http://www.celebfamily.org/selena-gomez)
After watching the documentary, I believe Living Undocumented did a great job at presenting the complex idea of immigration. Of course, people should follow the immigration laws set in motion by the United States and come into the U.S. legally, and in a perfect world people would. But this is not a perfect world. And our immigration laws are far from perfect. Getting the necessary documents to come to the U.S or apply for citizenship can take decades and many people are denied. Many families who come to America illegally are wanting a chance at the American dream or are seeking refuge and do not have time to wait.
What I found interesting in the documentary is that many of the undocumented immigrants acknowledged that they broke the law by entering illegally and understood how it was wrong. But they felt they had to do what was best for their family and themselves, and that was coming to America. Despite all the problems in America, it is important to remember how lucky we are to be in a country with so many freedoms and opportunities; especially when so many others are willing to risk their lives by coming here.
If you have not seen the documentary yet I highly recommend it.
Gomez, Selena. “Selena Gomez on America’s Undocumented Immigration Crisis.” Time, Time,
1 Oct. 2019, time.com/5690070/selena-gomez-americas-immigration-crisis/.
Netflix. Selena Gomez Presents What I Wish You Knew: Living Undocumented | Netflix.
YouTube, Netflix, 4 Oct. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjYM6ILC1z8.