[Radio] Musicians perform near the
‘Tear Down This Wall’ concert in protest against US President
Donald Trump’s plan to build a dividing fence
[Host] Build that wall!
Build that wall!
We are going to build a great border wall
to stop illegal immigration, to stop the gangs
and to stop the drugs from pouring into our communities
[Woman] Build that wall!
[Host] Build that wall!
Build that wall!
[Title] US & THE WALL
[Host] Build that wall!
Build that wall!
[Man] Hello
Are you ready yet?
Yes, we're leaving at 12.30
We have to pick them up
Let's meet by the church
I told them to go there
[GEO] Tijuana MEXICO
[GFX] Tijuana is the largest Mexican city on the US border
[GFX] For many Mexicans, it’s the perfect place for illegal border crossing
[GFX] Tijuana is one of the most dangerous places in the country
[GFX] The city is run by drug cartels
[GFX] Shootouts between rival gangs are common
[SAMUEL] They're all people...
Some have been deported
Most are young, around 18. Some are even younger, 14-16
They're mostly Mexicans
[Subtitles] SAMUEL "The Coyote" A highly experienced guide who helps illegal immigrants cross the border
[SAMUEL] Some want to join their families
some just don't like it here
I've seen people who, after living here for 5-6 years
didn't speak Spanish
They couldn't get used to the food
and worked for miserable pay, 150-200 pesos a day
The route is heavily patrolled, so I tell them to pack food
Patrols might stop us for a day
or part of the night...
or even until sunrise
We form a group and I take a backpack with everything we need along the way
I go with them for security
Safety on route is very important
There's always a risk of capture by border control officers
or running into gangsters who rob travellers at night
Next, we go either left or right...
where there's no patrol
It could be a deep creek or something similar
We'll wait until it's dark, there are robbers here
We walk in groups of 5
because the bandits use night vision, they rob and kidnap people
Let's try that side
We walk like this until our first stop
Then we turn
If all goes well, we keep going
Then we'll rest in a quiet place
If we get a chance
we'll keep on, going to the left, not the right
[TIM FOLEY] Don’t walk on the tracks or on the trail
[GEO] Arizona US-MEXICAN BORDER
[TIM FOLEY] Walk right off to the side
And also by doing that
you’re not leaving your tracks, so that they see that you’re there
Try to walk on the hardest ground
because you don’t want them to know that you’re there
Tires have a certain pattern
my shoe has a certain pattern
[Subtitles] TIM FOLEY Chief, Arizona Border Recon
[TIM] We’re a volunteer organization, made up of
former military and law enforcement
We come down here for seven to ten days at a time and we
shut down as much of the border as we can to the drug trafficking
Well, you could sit there and think that, that’s just well an old fucking footprint
But it’s not!
It’s a new one sitting on top of someone else’s
If this is going on 24 hours a day, seven days a week
you’re not going to stop all of it if you’re doing it with a
9-5 shift mentality
You have to come down and occupy the territory, just like you would in a
in a war
To us this is a war
They’re bringing in marijuana
coke, heroin, meth…
and now they’re bringing in phentanol
a synthetic heroin
Any other fucking questions?
[Soldier] Is there a big difference between male and female tracks?
[Tim] Size! Depth
Because there’s lighter, smaller
but you’re never going to have to worry about that
out here because there ain’t no fucking women or children round here
I’ve seen a fucking
track as big as his
and...
and he must have been the biggest motherfucking Mexican dope dealer ever, man
Following him down through and he had something heavy on
him because his shit was fucking deep
[Participant of the operation] Fallujah, Baghdad
Mosel, Kuwait… I did four tours in Iraq and one tour in Afghanistan
I got a plate in my head
my arm… so, my goal?
To stop the drug trade. I’m from Mississippi
so I drive 25 hours to get here
And there’s several of us that are from out of state
we’ve got one from South Carolina…
I think it’s the right thing to do
The government’s not doing anything down here much, so
so we’re here to try to stop the drugs
[Tim] Last time, we chased 18 of them
each one of them carrying 20 kilos of drugs
They got in front of us, so we called border patrol
and border patrol will get on the other side of the mountain
and catch them when they come on the other side of the mountains
So if you look up there, that’s one of the towers
That tower cost us $90 million and that tower is what is
is supposed to be watching the border right now
And when that tower sees something, they call the border patrol
They try to get the guys in here but
it’s so far away from anything that
by the time they get here they’re already passed it
Charlie to base…
We’re all former military and law enforcement
We know how to go about doing this. So anytime we
run into somebody…
we’ll sit them down and ask them
if they need any food or water or medical aid
Regardless of whether you’re bringing in
drugs that are killing people or anything else
or if you’re just sneaking into the country
we don’t want to see you die out there
I mean dying of thirst is one of the most horrible ways I can think of to die
So we give them food, water, medical aid and call border patrol
and they’ll come in and pick them up
This thing is just wide open… and people from
78 different countries are coming through
And the big problem is who are they?
Look at what’s happening in Europe
‘Oh my God, we gotta help these poor people!’
But you just let in a whole bunch of bad guys
because you don’t know who the hell they are!
But because
society nowadays is so politically correct
they’re afraid of offending somebody
Me…?
Fuck you!
If I offend you, too fucking bad!
I’m trying to protect
my people, my family, my friends
so if you’re offended I’m sorry
And that’s why they call us racist and everything else
[GEO] Tijuana Mexico
[GFX] US Army service doesn't entitle veterans to US citizenship
[GFX] Not even combat veterans automatically qualify for a US passport
[HECTOR BARAJAS] Deported Veterans Support House, how may I help you?
I live here at the bunker…
If you want to visit us one of these days…
I actually sleep on the couch and
I do this full time. If I were to stop doing what I’m doing then
we wouldn’t be able to help these guys out
With every single one of my guys, we have to be very up front
went to prison…
they have what’s considered an aggravated felony
Now it could be anything from writing a bad cheque which is fraud…
it could be discharging a firearm, it could be
[Subtitles] HECTOR BARAJAS Chief, Deported Veterans
[Hector] a small amount of drugs like an ounce…personal use…
it could be five pounds of marijuana… I mean it really varies, you know
So I want to be very up front. These people need to know that
there is a crime involved and they went to prison
I joined the military in 1995 and served to 2001
I served with the 82nd Airbourne
I got out with an honourable discharge in 2001. After I got out of the military
I was involved where someone shot a firearm at a vehicle
I went to prison, I was sentenced for three years
but I only did a year and like eight months
and then I was deported in 2004
I came back to the United States illegally
got caught again in 2010 and I’ve stayed in Mexico ever since
I opened up a shelter in 2013
If you commit an aggravated felony you could be deported; that means
even people who served in the military, they committed a felony
and their green cards get taken away. That’s it! Short and simple!
[GFX] ALEJANDRO GOMEZ served in the US Navy for 1.5 years before receiving a bad conduct discharge
[GFX] In 2010, he was deported for a drug-related crime. He returned illegally and was deported again
[Alejandro Gomez] I’ve been here for seven years now
I was deported in 2010 on May 18
Yeah, that was a day I’ll never forget. I was scared
I didn’t know anybody, didn’t know the city
didn’t know how to get around…
I only had $32 in my pocket
Immigration took my only form of ID. I had no ID
and I only had that money and I didn’t know what to do
I didn’t know where to go
And they just drop you off at the border and say, ‘There you go!’
You gotta continue on and walk and try to figure it out all on your own
[Hector] You’re gonna put your name right here, look. [Gomez[ Where?
[Hector] Right here, so put Alex Gomez…
[Gomez] Is it dry? [Hector] Yeah, it’s dry
[Gomez] It is…? [Hector] Yeah, you can put your name
[Hector] We have over 300 people but there’s only about 30 names on here
so whenever a new deported veteran like Alex comes here
he can put his name on the wall
My name wasn’t up here and I’ve been here seven years!
So I was out of the loop and now I feel like I’m tied in
Now their cause becomes my cause
All for one, one for all!
So that people know that we’re not just a number
we’re not just a group, no, we’re actual living people
[Gomez] This just made it personal
This is no longer just about me but about all my brothers
Especially to ones that passed away, that lost their lives while
while here in Mexico and didn’t have a chance to go back home
This is very important now
and this has become my fight
My life just crumbled, it totally fell apart. I have no relatives here
it's very... not safe here
Organised crime runs this city like an iron thumb
Yeah, 43 years, one and a half years in the Marines…
and it just sucks that you get deported. I mean
you’re good enough to serve the country but you’re not good enough to stay
Even though you pay your debts to society and
you got no new felonies after that…
it just sucks
[Woman] Francisco...
First time in the house?
[GFX] Casa Migrante is a shelter where US deportees can stay for up to 2 weeks
[JOSE ACOSTA] My belongings right now…
that’s only my business cards from my
business which I’m about to lose if I don’t do something about it
I still have my contractor’s licence on hand
and I don’t have a credit card… I don’t have anything else but I
I do have only a phone…
then I have a
bag of candy and three dollars
[Host] We start our day at 6am
So you should all be ready to go downstairs for coffee
Just coffee - no breakfast!
Those with no work must also be up, dressed and ready
We don't go door to door waking people up
You're responsible for yourself!
Better go out during the day
Only visit safe places
You know sometimes, and just for fun
the police detain guys
simply because they aren't locals
[Man] They take your money? [Host] Sometimes... be careful!
[Subtitles] JOSE ACOSTA Recently deported, after spending over 30 years in the US
[GFX] Back in California he has a wife, three daughters, two grandchildren and a construction business
[Jose] What happened is like following up with my paper work…
To become 100% documented
I have to go back to the immigration office
Be there once a week, once a month
you have to show yourself and bring proof
So anyway, this last time I showed up
I walk in at 9 o’clock in the morning
and...
and I was detained. According to the officer…
he said it very clearly:
I don’t deserve to be here
And remember
‘you are now
under the administration of Obama
you are now under the administration of Donald Trump’
And that’s the big change
So I got arrested
and by five o’clock I was deported to Tijuana
It is a nightmare because you get up at
5.30am and you are home
with your family and then
you go to sleep somewhere else in a shack
This is my new grandson…
my oldest boy
See what a happy boy he is
He loves piratesq
I really don’t know how to explain my feelings right now
I don’t know if I want to cry or if I want to run or…
what? You know, what, what can I do?
Nothing I can do
So
after all these years, I have to find a new way of living
What I see here is the abuse of the authorities
You can’t walk on the streets because you will either be kidnapped or robbed
Some criminals
they look at your clothes, they look at you
and they may think you have a lot of money
A couple of weeks ago they killed one of my friends
He got a bullet and now he’s dead
So good luck to us
[Rosario Vargas Flores] Look, I wrote a letter to Jannette...
but couldn’t pass it on to her
It says: to Jannette
Every time I see you approach, I feel so desperate and...
so I say a little prayer
I ask that God may at least permit me
to be able to look at you
I wish I could break down these barriers
I love you my little Jannette
You know, I never expected to see you after all these years
I'll be waiting for you here, God willing
Kiss
That's what I wrote
[GFX] Even though her daughter, JANETTE lives just an hour away, ROSARIO hasn’t hugged her for 11 years
[GFX] JANETTE crossed the US border illegally. If she takes a risk and visits her mother in Mexico, she may not be able to return to America
[Rosario] I knew that many who use that route don't make it to their destination
because they're attacked, robbed, or sometimes even killed
So I was kind of relieved...
I was happy she managed to cross to the other side
[GEO] Chula Vista USA
[Jannete Fernandez] I've lived in the US for almost 11 years
I came here to give my children a better life
So that they'd have more stability and a chance for a better education
[GFX] Over the 11 years that JANETTE has lived illegally in the US, she's changed jobs several times, she cleaned houses and waitressed in restaurants
[GFX] She was recently employed by a large pharmaceutical company. Her bosses don't care that she's an illegal immigrant
[GFX] JANETTE lives in the US with her US-citizen husband and children
[Jannete] It's a nice, quiet town
It's close to my work place
We feel good here
I've been here for almost 2 years
I used to live in San Isidro near the border
Then I moved here, to Chula Vista
and I like it
One school is 2 blocks from here
and another is that way
God willing, my kids will go to San Diego University, after high school
[Rosario] I go there regularly,
two or three times a month
To see her at the Playas
This way's better -
I can touch her, even if through a fence
It's better this way
At first my daughter tried to get a visa
She went to Juarez for an appointment
When she went, they said no...
you can't have a visa
That's why she decided to cross the border in a truck
At first, I didn't want to go
because I had my parents and my family there
So I didn't want to come here
But then one day I said yes. An opportunity presented itself
I came first and then my children
She tried to do it three times and failed
After her 4th attempt she didn't return
I thought I'd never see her again
I remember that day...
Yes
[GEO] San Diego USA
[Man] Here’s a ladder we found
in the desert when somebody jumped over the wall
And then… we put these water jugs out there
and these racist groups slice them open with knives
It’s really sad and we find shotgun shells…
people shooting at the migrants
[Subtitles] ENRIQUE MORONEZ Founder and head of the Border Angels group. He started helping immigrants in 1986
[GFX] His group leaves food and water in the desert for people crossing the border illegally
[Enrique] Twenty years ago I started going out to the desert, like we’re doing right now
to bring water to people that are crossing
because the people that are crossing are crossing the only way they can
They cannot get visas, there are no visas for these people
So they risk their lives crossing in the desert
or the mountains or the ocean
Wherever there are cities like San Diego and Tijuana, there’s a wall
Where there are no cities, there’s no wall. And that’s where people cross
And that’s where people die. So every summer
more people die because of the wall that exists right now
than in the entire history of the Berlin Wall
And you can see this is part of Operation Gatekeeper, 1994
and as we walk to the end right here just at the bottom of this little hill,
that’s the wall that George Bush did
And if you look further down there’s no wall
Without a doubt, most of the people in the United States
do not want the wall
ALL of the people in Mexico do NOT want the wall
And I guarantee you, Mexico is not going to pay one penny for that wall
Because the wall doesn’t stop people, it kills people
So if Trump builds what he wants to build,
it’ll be a little longer, a little higher,
but it’ll just take a little longer to cross - it’s not going to stop anybody
Be sure you lock your cars
You can see someone was walking through here, there’s footprints right here
We put out maybe 2 or 3 thousand gallons every summer,
and I would say maybe 300 of them are used
Another 300 are sabotaged, broken and
some are just left out there… maybe an animal…nobody ever uses them
But as long as one of them is used and it saves one person’s life…
So we don’t try to hide the bottles
I’m going to leave a bottle right here
because what the person will do is oftentimes they’re going to wait right here
cos a car’s going to come later on
So they wait in the shade or underneath the brush
cos they realize there’s border patrol coming through here too
Leave it in a spot that is fairly visible like right here
Just like that!
The situation now has gotten really bad because of Trump
Where you have all these hate crimes and attacks on people and
and it’s really sad
So now we have more volunteers than ever, more donations
because people are very mad, people do NOT want Donald Trump
Oftentimes behind those big rocks up there,
there’s sleeping bags and clothes cos that’s where they hide
They’re waiting…
He says he wants to build a wall…
Congress does not want him to build the wall…
the people of the United States do not want the wall
There’s already a wall that covers a third of the border,
but I believe he will get a little bit of a wall built
in addition to what already exists, and then he going to stop
One, because they don’t have the money for it and, two, because
there’s no need for that wall
[GEO] Arizona US-MEXICAN BORDER
[Tim] So this…
is what the
liberals are leaving out for them
They’re leaving food and water
Before these bleeding-heart liberals
started leaving water and stuff out … border patrol
they would only make it in a couple of miles before they ran out
of water and they’d be sitting on the side of the road waiting to be picked up
because they couldn’t go any further
But now they know there’s water along the whole way
Well, if they didn’t encourage them then there wouldn’t be people coming over
But they play the
the pity card
[Subtitles] TIM FOLEY Chief, Arizona Border Recon
[Tim] Oh, we are saving lives, we are helping… Bullshit!
You’re helping in two biggest illegal activities in the country
human smuggling and dope smuggling
It looks like they had to leave in a hurry and then
the animals got to it
[Tim] Oh, fresh toothbrush! [Woman] Nice, we need that!
[Tim] What have we got here? He was going to have a party…
[Man] What is it? [Tim] Confetti!
[Tim] Because he didn’t realise he was this close to a road…
probably heard a car coming and just… took off!
So this is probably last night and we see this trash everywhere
You won’t see any humanitarians doing this, picking up trash…
This political correct bullshit needs to go away
We need to enforce our own laws
If I climb over the fence and sneak in Mexico
that’s an automatic year in a Mexican prison
Nobody wanna do a year in a Mexican prison
Here all is that happens is
the pictures taken, the fingerprints are taken
and they’re thrown back over the fence
Four days later they’re back again
Look at this
See this, they
push the fence down
and then they just step right through
And there’s a lot of spots where’s there’s not even this, or they cut it and…
Down here at the bottom
is the big wash… this area on the other side where these big trees are
that’s what’s called a lay-up area
So they’ll come up and sit there in the bushes
and wait in Mexico
until the guy sitting up on that mountain tells them it’s okay…
then they come across!
We’ve heard from the past four or five administrations
we need a fence, we need a wall, we need a fence…
They okayed building the wall back in 2001
but they never gave the money for it…
still, nothing! Politicians…
they’re just! Well, they’ll tell you what you want to hear
We have to go back 100 years…
we have to go backwards
By that I mean, 100 years ago
they had outposts along the border
and they had guys in the outposts, and they
fanned out from the outposts and stopped
anything and everything from coming through
[GEO] Tijuana US-MEXICAN BORDER
[Samuel] The group never walks in a pack, we always spread out
We follow in each other's footsteps,
so if anyone gets lost I always go back and check,
because, if they're captured, even journalists,
they hold everyone until they know who 'they' are
they surround the group...
If there are 10 of us, we split up,
two here, three there and so on
That way, no more than 3 get captured
We were trying to cross the border
I saw a border control officer and started running
If they shout at me to stop, the best defence is to run
[Subtitles] SAMUEL "The Coyote"
[SAMUEL] You shouldn't throw stones or anything, just run
Running's not a crime
but they make it sound like one
A patrol can say an immigrant threw stones so they shot him
mostly they just shout and let you escape
[Deportee] I was driving under the influence
and I got caught… the police stopped me
and sent me back to Mexico
I got deported four years ago
I’m trying to go back to
Los Angeles. Oh yeah, I got deported 14 times!
I went back 13 times. This is my 14th!
All those times I was high
when I got caught… I was high!
[SAMUEL] We have to spend the night here,
but we must keep quiet
because the border patrol may call the Beta Group
who could come up here and capture us
There's no choice
You can build a wall,
build anything you want,
build it sky-high...
for extra security
But it won't be a big problem
People will still evade the border patrols,
they'll still cross where you least expect it
There'll be border guards at the wall, but some might have kind hearts
and turn a blind eye as people go through
[JOSE] I have a little dream and the dreams are in English…
then you awake
because someone is waking you up, it’s time to move, it’s time to go…
but now they are talking to you in Spanish
So it’s kind of like moving your head
left to the right
trying to fix whatever is inside your head
I still don’t have a place to live
and I still don’t know anybody…
the last few days I didn’t have a plan, I didn’t know what to do… I didn't
I didn’t have paperwork, but now I do I have a plan of work…
I got together with two people in this facility place
and we are planning to share the cost of an apartment
and start all over. See how we make progress
When I got the notice that I was selected for an interview…
then I didn’t have any feelings like now what?
But now I’m excited because now there is a plan of action,
[Subtitles] JOSE ACOSTA Deportee
[Jose] now we can get together, we can make…
now we have a start, a place to start
This is going to be the first time I’m applying for a job here
It’s some kind of telecommunications…
I don’t know what but I will take any position
You are in between two governments…
Mexico and America
and neither one wants you!
They don’t want you over there and they don’t want you over here
And that’s the feeling in the land of noone
[Hector] We have a very important visit. We have a group of congressmen
that have never visited any deportees or deported veterans,
and we’re very excited that we’re going to be able to talk to these people
that are introducing legislation; they’re the ones who can get us home
as well as maybe push the president to write an executive order!
[Joaquin Castro] Hello everybody! My name is Joaquin Castro
and I’m part of a group of seven members of Congress
We’ve come to visit you here in Tijuana, Mexico
We wanted to come here to listen to the stories…
but also to take a message back
to our fellows in the American Congress and the American people
[Gomez] We voluntarily signed and enlisted…
we… unfortunately broke the law
[Deportee2] We just want to go home
[Deportee3] Although I’m here, I feel that the US is my country
[Deportee2] It is shameful for the United States to kick out the people that stood up for it
[Gomez] Deportation is unjust… I signed a plea bargain… the judge
and everybody that was present crossed off box No 9
which said that my felony, if I agreed to plead guilty, was not deportable
And yet, here I am!
[Joaquin Castro] We believe that anybody who was willing to risk their lives
for their country, the United States,
should not be subject to deportation
Unfortunately, there are hundreds if not thousands of veterans
who have been dealt that exact fate
Governor Gerry Brown on Easter of this year issued three pardons,
full and complete pardons… and so I’m here today to present these to you
The first to Mr Hector Barrajas
From the Governor of California…
there it is!
[GFX] World Cup 2018 qualifier between USA and Mexico
[Gomez] Go!... Go!
Mexico!
[Man]
[Gomez] Listen, who I root for
and where I want to live are two entirely different things
OK, if there was a Republican sitting out there
Trump or somebody it would be… USA… USA!
Right now, it’s do whatever the Veterans Support House tells me to do as far
as filling out paperwork, applying for this and applying for that
We’re trying to upgrade my discharge,
we’re trying to get letters of recommendation for that
The last time I seen my family was about five years ago
I haven’t seen nobody since then
[Subtitles] Alejandro Gomez Deported Veteran
[Gomez] Nobody comes because they don’t feel safe here
Organised crime is just too rampant,
too much death and my mum’s getting up there is age
she’s 91! She just can’t travel that much anymore
And it kills me that she’s at that age because I know that
if she ever passes away there’s no way I’m going to be able to go home…
and bury her like I buried my father
Not seeing my babies… I mean,
I say my babies but the oldest is 25, Brittney’s 23
Melissa’s 20 now…
Junior just turned 18! These pictures are old
It’s all I got!
And that weighs down on you
I mean you don’t have that…
I mean, obviously, you can tell that I was always
I was always in the mix with them…
and that’s one of the things that I really, really miss
Life is just passing by, time is just going by
and all I do is just get older!
And I just can’t seem to find my niche
And yeah, I do feel like I’ve been railroaded
that’s exactly how I feel
[GFX] FRIENDSHIP PARK is a square in Tijuana adjoining the border fence
[GFX] Once a week US authorities allow illegal immigrants living in the US to talk to their relatives on the other side of the chainmail fence
[Jannete] We didn't have this opportunity before
Sometimes I'd get a picture or a letter,
or see a video with my mother having dinner with relatives
I didn't know about this park before
Now I'm able to see her, talk to her, laugh with her
[Subtitles] Jannete Fernandez
[Jannete] It's sad..
and for me it's very painful
We began to feel a bit better
It's not as distressing as it was,
the waiting
Listen, girl!
[Jannete] Did Yasmin meet a lion? [Girl] What?
[Jannete] Yasmin met a lion?
[Girl] Why?
[Rosario] Look, she is badly scratched!
[Jannete] Hi Mummy
[Jannete] Give me your finger! Through here...
[Rosario] Was it a long walk?
Honey, why not say hello to your Granny?
[Jannete] Say hello to Granny [Rosario] Come here!
[Rosario] I love you so much! You're so pretty
You're so tiny
Yasmin, I love you very much
Yasmin, look at me
At last, I can look at your eyes
My pretty girl,
you're so lovely
[Jannete] Thank God, now I know my suffering was worth it, with my family in Tijuana
Because...
in my country, there are plenty of opportunities
There's money, power, everything. It has a rich history
But unfortunately they don't care about young people
It's not because Mexico is poor and has nothing
No, it has everything
But education isn't one of its priorities
[Rosario] It says here: 'everything will crumble,
both our class-ridden society and its dividing walls
Break down this... 'f***ing' wall!'
I want her to stay there
She must be with her family
She should take advantage of that
As for me, I'm happy if she's happy
[Subtitles] Rosario Vargas Flores
[Rosario] If her children are happy, I feel good
Although, we hardly see each other...
and can't be together
[Host] I will build a great, great wall
on our southern border and I will have Mexico pay for that wall
It’s a vital tool, it’s an important tool
We’re going to build the wall, we have no choice!