Film explores plight of immigrant youth

By Brooke Wheatley

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Imagine if you did not have the right to live in the country where you grew up. Imagine that you couldn’t work or drive. Imagine you couldn’t apply for a state ID or get on an airplane. Imagine you could be deported to a country you don’t remember.

These are some of the obstacles that undocumented, immigrant youth face right now in the United States. But for Jews, these obstacles are familiar and these circumstances easy to imagine.

That is part of the reason Rebecca Shine, a Portland-based filmmaker and her partner Anne Galisky, both members of Congregation Neveh Shalom, decided to produce the upcoming film, “Papers.”

“Papers” is the story of undocumented youth and the challenges they face as they turn 18 without legal status. The film will screen first in Portland on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. at the Hollywood Theatre, before traveling widely across the country this fall.

There are approximately 2 million undocumented children who were born outside the United States and raised in this country. These young people are educated in American schools, hold American values, know only the United States as home and, upon high school graduation, find the door to their future slammed shut.

Sixty-five thousand undocumented students graduate every year from high school without “papers.” It is against the law to work or drive. It is difficult, if not impossible in some states, to attend college. Currently, there is no path to citizenship for these young people.

Graham Street Productions is producing this film in partnership with Film Action Oregon. They are working in collaboration with the youth who want to tell their stories, as well as community organizations around the country working to change immigration policy on behalf of these young people.

The “Papers” youth crew, El Grupo Juvenil, have been trained on the project to film, raise funds, network and speak publicly. They are youth with immense challenges of their own. Now, they are mentoring younger children, designing and facilitating workshops on immigration, discrimination and story-telling.

The five main characters in the film represent the variety of undocumented youth living in the United States and include two Mexican-Americans, one Guatemalan-American, one Korean-American and one Jamaican-American. They are extraordinarily brave young people who decided to take the risk of being public—the risk of arrest, detention and deportation to countries they may not even remember—in order to speak out on behalf of 2 million undocumented youth.

Some of the film’s characters work towards passage of the DREAM Act-which would allow some undocumented youth a path to citizenship if they attend college or join the military. This bill was re-introduced in Congress last spring. There is a question about whether it will proceed as an independent bill or be incorporated into a larger comprehensive immigration reform bill for undocumented children and adults.

Shine hopes U.S. Jews will see the film and learn about the impact of current immigration law on these remarkable young people. She hopes Jews will not only identify with their struggle but join it. Rabbi Daniel Isaak of Congregation Neveh Shalom makes an appearance in the film and passed on his wisdom to the youth filming his interview. “Make friends,” he said. “Find allies.” And that is exactly what the crew of “Papers” did. They found allies across the country, including more than 1,400 donors from 24 states, senators and representatives, social justice leaders and immigrant families.

Dozens of youth from around the country have sent in stories for “Papers the Book” and Portland-area educators have developed a discussion guide and curriculum for teachers and community groups.

The youth subjects are supported by adult interviewees who describe how the current wave of anti-immigrant sentiment fits into the history of scapegoating, how U.S. trade and foreign policy and the desire for cheap labor has affected immigration over time, and how we are squandering the immense talent and passion that these young people want to share with their communities and this country.