Because they were speaking about Trump. He brought up, even in that initial phone call, some stuff that legally just didn’t make any sense. And when we checked into it with him after the show had been published, we kind of asked, hey, how was the portrayal? Constantly. Because here is a boss coming on the radio and making clear that what he’s interested in is just detaining people. And she let that happen. ‘Immigration Nation’ Review: The Banality of Deportation. I just don’t think it’s right. And in the later episodes there are wrenching individual stories, like that of a Guatemalan grandmother seeking asylum and sitting for more than a year in a Texas detention center, though these segments tend to indulge in superfluous scenes of inspiration and tearful condolence. And I know he lives here. (SINGING) This is for the people who are locked inside. And. I think that under this administration, they realized very quickly that enforcement policies were changing. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and Rolling Stone, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association. And I — there’s no pretty way to say it. From here on out, I’m asking all of you to enforce the laws of the United States of America. One of my partners. But you’re kind of seeing this prevailing culture of ICE in that moment, under this administration, kind of winning out. Please open the door so I can talk to you. And so men and women who have lived here for years were rounded up with knocks on the door. Whereas before, they were just going to work, minding their business. This is mainly the individuals that we were fairly close to throughout the production and that we’ve kind of stayed close to. Netflix offers a divisive documentary, but one that’s riveting. "Immigration Nation" simply brings it home for us at a time, hopefully, that people are more likely to listen. The filmmakers behind "Immigration Nation" were granted extensive access to ICE agents, which raises the question what the government's communications people were thinking. That’s now how we do business. Immigration Nation provides a damning indictment of the labyrinth systems that make ICE so powerful, and a wrenching examination of the human cost its policies have wrought. He brought stuff like the Hatch Act — that is a old rule that during Soviet times, during the Cold War, government employees cannot try and overthrow a government. I don’t care about the guy that’s minding his own business and cooperating with me. So the third episode centers on … And that’s how it started. And he was kind of telling us how he typically does not do collaterals. ‎Read reviews, compare customer ratings, see screenshots, and learn more about Immigration Nation!. It was privacy issues, meaning everybody in the show had to agree and sign releases that they are willing to participate, both on D.H.S. This includes the widely known ones, like child separation at the border, as well as less familiar angles, such as the exploitation of migrants who take on the work of natural-disaster recovery and federal attempts to co-opt local law enforcement into immigration agencies. The move from seeking out immigrants with criminal backgrounds or who have committed crimes here in the States switched to grabbing all immigrants under Trump, including the ones designated “non-crim” (non-criminal). I mean paperwork saying that you guys have permission to come in here or something. No. I mean, I do think, you know, we did see them grappling with it. In the 15 years, I’ve never been called up to the front office in order to talk about a series such as this. When you’re part of fugitive operations, you have targets of people who committed crimes. And they were going to put it through their various filters. Those ones, you know, came back. By moving around the country and speaking to both sides of the issue—the head of PR for ICE gets plenty of time to spin their side of the story too—“Immigration Nation” offers a more complete picture than anything we’ve seen before on immigration in the Trump era. You have to remember also we started pretty early in the Trump days. You know, I don’t agree with the policies. I know it’s my job. Full Review Top Critic Donald J. Trump does not want you to see “Immigration Nation.” His administration pressured the filmmakers to delete scenes and even to delay its broadcast until after the 2020 election, according to a report in the New York Times. This does not portray us in a favorable light. The filmmakers are smart enough to focus on the people fighting against the tide, but it’s hard not to feel like humanity is drowning. The smartest thing about “Immigration Nation” is its episodic focus. Six hours of a stranger’s time is a big ask, especially if you’re vouching for a show you haven’t seen yet. They are federal jobs. So you think of an agency that suddenly, on one hand, the gloves are off. What do you think? And he’s heard clearly saying, I don’t care what you do, get me two people. And our job does not get any easier because people don’t like law enforcement. Parts of it may start to drag or feel padded, but its see-the-whole-elephant approach to one of America’s most divisive issues has inherent value. But while its focus is to alert and to inform, its often glimmers of optimism and hope help restore just a small amount of faith into the future of this currently very fissured country. There is no right way anymore. It makes plain the bureaucracy’s purposeful dead-ends and how circumstances that look “in order” on paper can nonetheless yield infinite harm in reality. And you need to be worried. The series’ hallmark is not an image but a sound bite — the agents’ endless variations on “I may not like it, but it’s the job.” The human-rights lawyer Becca Heller sums it up nicely: “When you add up all the people just doing their job, it becomes this crazy, terrorizing system.”, “Immigration Nation” provides abundant evidence for things that some might call fake news, like the determination of ICE, under the Trump administration, to remove immigrants from the United States in bulk regardless of whether they pose any danger. And then they really were in the hot seat. And that they were going to be looked at under a different light. And it’s not just for us. Many of them were ICE agents under the last administration. 817-335-0220 1403 Ellis Ave. Fort Worth, TX 76164. And this is an election time. Shot between February 2017 and February 2020, “Immigration Nation” traces the Trump administration’s jaw-dropping effect on the country’s already disastrous immigration system. You know that right? And I wonder if you can talk us through that. Immigration Nation is the most powerful and fully encompassing documentary of the year. There’s this scene where you’re with these agents in New York discussing the policy. It will almost certainly leave you better informed than you were before, even if its net effect may be to further entrench people on whichever side of the debate they already occupy. But in that morning, Judy was doing exactly her mission. So, this is only out for a few days and these reviews are already bonkers from both sides. That will be the takeaway for those who want to make political points from the series, from either direction. On the other hand —. They do their mission. She’s a parent. You should look over your shoulder. Collaterals were something we saw on a daily basis for years. Listen, Trump didn’t start problems with immigration in this country, as his supporters love to point out, but he has used racist, fearmongering tactics to amplify every flaw in the system to his advantage. In an interview with ABC News on Sunday, Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley blamed the fires on decades worth of climate change. So —. Brian Tallerico is the Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. Shot between February 2017 and February 2020, “Immigration Nation” traces the Trump administration’s jaw-dropping effect on the country’s already disastrous immigration system. They’re here to work and provide for their family. Immigration Nation, a six-part docuseries set to release Aug. 3 on Netflix, shows the tactics used to enforce the president’s policies. At first, I wasn’t sure I could finish “Immigration Nation.” The first episode focuses heavily on ICE process, which, no matter how you feel politically, is built on layers of subterfuge and confusion. But that’s all about to change. You know, and I think these days were also when the tactic of installing fear were really at its height. There’s the grandmother who fled Mexico with her granddaughter after a drug lord tried to kidnap the girl and make her his child bride. “It is the strategy to tear families apart, which to me is unconscionable, and bring them maximum pain, and to use that as a deterrent.” – John Amaya, Former Deputy Chief, ICE. You know, and once we would bring these issues, of course they would crumble legally and try to find another. You know, on one side, they are the ones that really know what it means when you take somebody into the system. And, you know, actions, words have consequences. And as in many places in this administration, but we can definitely attest to D.H.S., it’s a little bit the yes men that have stayed. Menu. (Maybe that’s where they learned it.) Thank you. So that’s why I’m in here. She’s the daughter of an immigrant. You know, there was examples of them kind of coming back with pushback. Immigration to the United States is a story spread across thousands of miles, a variety of faceless government agencies and a tapestry of determined, often desperate petitioners, and “Immigration Nation” tries to cover as many of its facets as it can cram in. Because they wanted to show numbers. : Watching Gene Kelly From a Child's-Eye View by Ethan Warren. And her mission was different than the systemic separation that was happening at the border at the same time. ‎Do you know how people become citizens of the United States? So —. And be with them in the field by ourselves and really do the work we were hoping to do. She wants him to say goodbye to his daughter. As I said earlier, if you’re in this country illegally, and you committed a crime by entering this country, you should be uncomfortable. Part of that effect comes from seeing agents push the boundaries of legality — most strikingly, how they routinely enter apartments when “invited” by cowed, uncomprehending immigrants, in a way that’s surprisingly similar to what you’d see in a TV cop drama. But at its most heated moment, when ICE was under the most scrutiny, they were willing. He really wants to catch real criminals, his targets. Yeah. But you were able to follow them for nearly three years with a tremendous level of access. And I’m very happy about it. IMMIGRATION NATION is a simple but effective matching game that also serves as a good introduction or review of factual requirements for entry to the United States. But you know the saying, right? But that line wasn’t so good for me. He’s like, no. Because on some level, it seems difficult for me to imagine that ICE wouldn’t have imagined that the documentary would capture what it captured. And we need you to relook at some of these issues. At least 25 people have died from the wildfires in California, Washington and Oregon, where the fires have now consumed more than one million acres. So the third episode centers on the antithetical concept of deported veterans. And the shooter remains at large. And there’s this moment where you’re sort of witnessing agents adjusting to this new approach. You know, under the previous administrations, there were specific priorities, that you could only pick up a felony charge or an egregious criminal. The mother asked that the child say goodbye to the father. The smartest thing about “Immigration Nation” is its episodic focus. It can be viewed on TV starting on August third. We said, listen, we think the agency is going to come under a lot of heat. But there was something that felt familiar in that mechanism of push. It was part of the machine that we saw. And other than that, the contract stated very clearly that we had the first right amendment to tell our story as we see fit. That one really — we didn’t see that one coming. HBO's It's a Sin is a Radiant Coming-of-Age Story in a Dark Period, Three-Hour Brunch Friend: Greta Gerwig's Breakups, Getting to the Heart of America in David Lynch's The Straight Story, Bright Wall/Dark Room February 2021: Who Could Ask for Anything More? It’s a job. Today: At the start of the Trump presidency, leaders within ICE — Immigration and Customs Enforcement — jumped at the chance to give two filmmakers, Christina Clusiau and Shaul Schwarz, inside access to document the agency’s new hardline agenda. No, that agents in the episode. Which we were like, all right, take out that shot. In Immigration Nation, you'll find out as you guide newcomers along their path to citizenship. Yeah. The filmmaking here is remarkably detailed and never feels showy or exploitative. Advertisement: "Immigration Nation" is currently streaming on Netflix. He expressed that this is not what they expected. Because a lot of times, when you pick up a collateral, their entire world begins to crumble. And so you have to take out the whole scene. And this is just a somber reminder that this is — it’s a dangerous job. We are committed to training Today's Professionals into tomorrow by providing quality education and … And in his mind, he was not supporting the mission. It is apocalyptic. And so —. We saw that the scope of ICE’s mandate under this period of time had expanded. We’re not going to yell out in the hallway through a closed door, ma’am. So based on that, it sounds like you had real confidence that you would be given free rein to document what you saw and ultimately include it in whatever you produced. Two filmmakers were granted rare access to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. So they were trying to knock things out of the film? Download Immigration Nation! That he understands the people he’s arresting. We were in the car with Judy, an agent we spent a long time with. Unlike most of Netflix’s programming, the thoughts and visuals displayed throughout this series are intense, heart-wrenching, and, at times, traumatic. And so I think that something to recognize is the fact that they, you know, they had different mandates under Obama. Six hours of a stranger’s time is a big ask, especially if you’re vouching for a show you haven’t seen yet. He expressed anger that came from all the way to the top. And I think, you know, there is something to be said that maybe there are a few that say, you know what, I just can’t do this anymore. They said we were going to get a carte blanche look, that they’re going to introduce us. We constantly look like we’re the bad guys, when all we’re doing is enforcing the laws and doing our job. And that’s who you’re going after. And what’s so smart about “Immigration Nation” is how Schwarz and Clusiau take each of the talking points of the current (and some of the former) administration and reveal their blinding inaccuracy to capture the entire immigration experience. And yet while I would never recommend binging this show unless you’re incredibly emotionally resilient, its greatest strength is in its cumulative power. It was quite a variety. Filmmakers Shaul Schwarz and Christina Clusiau make an effort to humanize some of the officers here, and you can see glimpses of compassion and confusion on their faces, although they’re careful not to present too sympathetic a portrait of people just following orders. It makes plain the bureaucracy’s purposeful dead-ends and how circumstances that look “in order” on paper can nonetheless yield infinite harm in reality. If you don’t mind. And somebody has to do it. Once inside the home of the target, probably an immigrant accused of a crime, they frequently find “collaterals,” additional people who can be rounded up simply because they’re undocumented. [APPLAUSE]. Immigration Nation is utterly convincing and utterly exhausting, a harrowing reminder that, while we've been distracted by other things in the …