Sydney R. - El Norte

The story of Rosa and Enrique's journey gives insight into the trials and tribulations that immigrants from Mexico and Central America have to face on their way to "El Norte" as well as their experience once they arrive.  In the U.S., they are given the opportunity to survive whereas in Guatemala they would have been slaughtered by the government.  Unfortunately, the opportunity to survive and the opportunity to live are not the same thing.  Rosa and Enrique learned quickly that just because they are in the U.S. does not mean that their life will be any easier than it was previously.  They also learned that trust is not something to take for granted and people are not always what they seem.  Obviously the guy in Tijuana that robbed them was a wakeup call but another important learning opportunity for Enrique was when his server friend explained the difference between immigrants and natural-born Americans with heritage "south of the border".  Enrique thought that the "poncho" that they worked with could be another person he could trust, but there is a clear social division between these two groups.  It was interesting how the film emphasized the language barrier here because it seemed to imply that if only the poncho worker knew the language, he might be able to relate to them and understand how they are all affected by unfair stereotypes.  This stuck out to me because of how I was raised with my dad being half-Mexican but not knowing any Spanish.  My grandma is Mexican and although she grew up speaking Spanish, she never spoke it with my dad or his brother.  My dad also does not "look" very Mexican so I think this, coupled with the fact that he never learned Spanish made it hard for him to connect with Mexican culture.  I have always been very interested in Mexican culture and the Spanish language.  Within the past year, I have become fully fluent in Spanish and because of this, I finally feel connected to my heritage.  This was empowering for me and I think not being able to find a way to connect to one's heritage is why second, third, and even fourth generation immigrants have a hard time finding their place in society, like the poncho in the movie.

The belief that we are a "nation of immigrants" is definitely an idealized, but not unpopular belief in the U.S. whether one comes from a family of immigrants or not.  Again, I am reminded of my grandma who, in agreement with the poncho in the movie, believes that illegal immigrants are a threat.  She prides herself on coming from a family that immigrated the "right" way by becoming legal but this is not an option for a lot of people or they do not know how.  Enrique and Rosa were fleeing political violence in their home country and although they could have claimed to be asylum seekers, they were not even aware that this was an option.  America is idealized by both citizens and non-citizens alike as being an accepting place where anyone can be anything and I believe that it has the potential to make that ideal a reality.  But without making more of an effort to help immigrants (legal and illegal) get the support they need, I am afraid that America will continue to cause unnecessary suffering for all Americans.