Immigration is one of the largest issues dividing Americans.
Family separations and deportations have been depicted as numbers rather than giving faces to those affected by the procedures.
The Netflix six-part documentary “Living Undocumented” was made in an effort to put faces to immigration debate in America.
The documentary is co-directed by Aaron Saidman and Anna Chai as well as former Disney Channel star Selena Gomez as an executive producer.
The show follows a handful of families who have been affected by their undocumented status and showcases the struggles that come along with the title.
Immediately there was concern when I watched the first episode.
Media and culture have become so watered down with anti-President Donald Trump material that when the show started off attacking Trump, it felt as if the show was going to be just another cog in the anti-Trump agenda, but it proved to stand out as different.
“Living Undocumented” not only attacks Trump and his policies, but branches to former presidents such as Bill Clinton through clips of speeches that he gave about immigration.
These clips point out flaws in his administration that are still present in today’s immigration process.
Aside from Clinton, the show looks at flaws in the Obama administration. However, the documentary seems to praise his presidency more than tarnish it.
Not only does the show separate itself by who it decides to hold to the fire, but it also extends the discussion of illegal immigration past the stigma that it is only a southern border concern.
The docuseries follows families from Latin America, but also features immigrants from countries such as Laos and Israel.
Each viewer of the show will find themselves attached to one person or family more than the other. For me personally, the story of Vinny Phankaysay
stole the series.
Phankaysay came to the United States as a political refugee from Laos when he was just a boy in 1986.
He was granted permanent residency on his arrival because of his refugee status at the time and his family settled into North Carolina where his father wished to make a career in the textile mill industry.
Phankaysay ended up running away from school in high school and started selling drugs. At the age of 21 he was arrested for selling methamphetamines.
He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and when released, his permanent citizenship status was revoked because the crime was a felony.
There is no repatriation agreement between Laos and the United States so Phankaysay was forced to have constant check-ins with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to see if he is able to stay in the states.
Now married with an infant daughter, Phankaysay still continues to face deportation with every check-in.
This story is one of the many documentaries that does a great job giving empathy to an issue that still seems to be so lacking.
“Living Undocumented” is powerful with the stories it tells and comes at an important time in America where empathy and civilized discussion of issues is needed more than ever.
