MovieChat Forums > Babel (2006) Discussion > Immigration story

Immigration story

posted 14 years ago by deadcandance-3
26 replies | jump to latest

That story really bother me.

Im from Portugal, Europe and here a person that lives and works for 6 years can apply for citizenship as in most if not all european countries. I was also very surprised how could they (in the States) depport someone that lived and worked there for 16 honest years. Just like that ... It sound's very desuman to me.

Also the way the police acted in the border when they were entering the States(inopposition to the easy entering in Mexico), specially when we saw that they were searching for bombs with that mirror and when the police searched her purse (that is such a personal thing) with both kids in the back it was awfull. If something like that ever happened to me i would feel very violated.

I also thought the USA was a friendly country to immigration, but i guess i was wrong. I don't really know if i can blame them for having strict laws about it, since i can imagine how high are the numbers of illegal and also legal people that try to enter and stay there every year. But you can have strict laws and still treat people with respect.

When i watched Amelia saying she had all her life in the States where se lived for 16 honest years and would be depported just like that and then she was left alone in a street in Mexico it really broke my heart.

Is it true that in the States what happen to Amelia can really occur?

[–] rivethead808 14 years ago

Well thankfully she had her son, but yes, that broke my heart, and yes, that is entirely possible here. Its getting worse all the time. Just google Arizona immigration. The whole movie was sad, but that was the only scene where I cried. I knew that was going to happen. She was such a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart; a human being just like anyone else.

http://www.listology.com/profile_public.cfm/indv_id.12830/b_check_link _dest.True

[–] Six-Shooter 13 years ago

I'm getting tired of all this *beep* against Arizona. It's the individual state's decision if they enforce a law which has been around for quite a while. Good for Arizona, being different & actually enforcing the law. Until they make ILLEGAL immigration LEGAL, that's my stance. Message me when it's legal.

I once had a signature. But, then I realized how bleak & meaningless such personalizations are.

[–] ledzeppelin489 13 years ago

The thing is, you'll never understand what something like that is like, because you're not an immigrant; immigration laws are ridiculous and pointless.

[–] katiefanatic-791-306918 9 years ago

my parents are immigrants and there's a reason they left their countries. in recent years, all the trash they left their countries to get away from, has been allowed in. the US is no longer a safe sanctuary. immigration laws should be STRICTER.

[–] macabresynecdoche 12 years ago

yes, a story like Amelia's can actually happen. The US has very strict laws about who can be in their country/what they allow in their country. It doesn't matter if you've lived in the US for 20 or more years, you're still considered an illegal immigrant and if they find out, they will deport you. They always, always do a thorough search before allowing you in the country. They don't really care what you bring out...but they definitely care about what you're bringing in.

[–] Zuider_Zee 11 years ago

Those weren't 16 honest years. She was a criminal who was in America illegally. The Unites States is friendly to immigration but you should understand the difference between an immigrant and an illegal alien. I'm glad your heart was broken. This liberal tripe of a movie was designed to tug at the heartstrings but doesn't really reflect reality.

[–] goldpink23 9 years ago

@Zuider_Zee.You said"Those weren't 16 honest years".That's what I thought.When I read that part of the OP it had me likethis.

[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] doubl3 8 years ago

Honest years? She was there illegally. Why don't people understand that? I still felt bad for her, but laws are there.

[–] lombano 8 years ago

OP, yes, that whole part was very realistic - from how the immigration agents treated them to the outcome. Because her nephew drove off before they'd cleared immigration, they'd technically re-entered illegally, and they'd probably view her as guilty of child endangerment and of taking children to another country without parental permission. I think any criminal conviction automatically gets you deported from the US, even if you're a legal resident and even if you don't actually serve jail time (a suspended sentence) or the penalty is very short.

I don't understand why people are saying she was in the US illegally. If she had been there illegally, she wouldn't have just showed up at the border crossing point expecting to be allowed in - because it's a certainty they wouldn't let her through if she didn't have a valid visa or green card, and she'd obviously know that. Besides, problems only began because of the children, with her not being their legal guardian nor having written permission from the parents - not "where's your visa?". So yes, it was 16 honest years, because she'd been there legally.

[–] Theshornwonder 8 years ago

Mexicans don't need a visa to enter the U.S.

[–] lombano 8 years ago

Sorry, but that's a blatant lie. Mexicans need a visa even to change planes at an airport on US soil.

[–] Theshornwonder 8 years ago

No, they don't. https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/572/~/entering-the-u.s.---documents-required-for-foreign-nationals-(international

[–] lombano 8 years ago

Just because it's labelled a "Border Crossing Card" doesn't make it not a visa for all practical intents and purposes.

[–] Theshornwonder 8 years ago

They were searching for drugs, not bombs.

[–] crockett_john 8 years ago

I don't feel too bad for her. She spent 16 years in the US illegally. She took two children across the border illegally and without the permission of the parents. Then, on the way back into the US, she's in a vehicle with a drunk driver who tries to flee. I don't think there's anything in that story to make anyone want to have sympathy for her in her case.

---
I blame autocorrect.

You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas.

[–] Tuppance76 8 years ago

She broke the law twice(living in the US illegally and taking the children in her charge to Mexico), and paid the inevitable price. Deportation.

In saying that I felt bad for Amelia. A good person who made a very bad decision. Well two very bad decisions. The latter luckily ended well and neither the children nor herself ended up dead as a result.

How old was Amelia's son? I felt bad for him. At what age was he when she abandoned her country of legal origin and him, 16 years prior, to be a nanny to other children in the US?

I had the same problem with the illegal alien 'friendly' La Misma Luna. I felt bad for the abandoned son. The mother who came here illegally I had no sympathy for. His perilous search for her and her fear for his safety, was completely her fault.

I know too many people who immigrated here legally. Two from Mexico. That is why I can't stand it when illegals are referred to as immigrants. They're not. The are criminals illegally dwelling here.

Don't f@ck with me fellas! This aint my first time at the rodeo.

[–] Sabrina (52) 5 years ago

OK, but why American Officers let them get the kids into Mexico on the first trip. What, you may take American kids away into Mexico, but you are not allowed to return them? That's crazy. What a wrong system.