Abandoned: The Betrayal of America’s Immigrants
D: David Belle, Nicholas Wrathall. (16mm, 60 min.)The U.S. immigration laws, as “reformed” by Congress in 1996, are now routinely used as an extrajudicial weapon against legally resident U.S. aliens as well as new applicants for political asylum. Abandoned is a straightforward, blistering recounting of the background and consequences of this tyrannical policy. Longtime U.S. residents, who years ago committed minor crimes and were duly punished, are now subject retroactively to mandatory detention and deportation. Families are torn apart and “aliens” deported to countries unknown to them. Asylum applicants are routinely imprisoned and may languish for years without legal assistance while their jailers profit from INS maintenance fees. It’s apparent the filmmakers want to speak for this “most voiceless group of people.” Abandoned interviews immigrants, advocates, functionaries, and politicians, with powerful clips like a police riot in a Florida detention facility. The film recounts numerous distressing human stories — oppression of immigrants by a country of immigrants — and a few small but important victories. (Dobie 2, 3/16, 12:45pm)
This article appears in March 16 • 2001.
