Families in Crisis: Illegal Immigration | Full Documentary
Summary
TLDRThe video follows Rafa Arturo, a Salvadoran deported from the U.S., who struggles to reunite with his son, Jacob, while navigating gang violence and poverty in El Salvador. Having lived in the U.S. for 30 years, Rafa faces challenges in raising Jacob safely and dreams of returning to the U.S. Jacob’s attempts to secure a visa are repeatedly denied, and Rafa contemplates a dangerous illegal journey back to the U.S. This story highlights the harsh realities of deportation, the risks of re-migration, and the emotional toll on families divided by borders.
Takeaways
- 🛑 Central Americans, especially those from El Salvador, face cyclical migration due to violence and lack of opportunities in their home countries.
- 🌍 Many deported Salvadorans spent most of their lives in the U.S., making their return to El Salvador feel foreign and disconnected.
- 👨👦 Rafa, a deported Salvadoran, is determined to give his son Jacob a safer and better life in the U.S., despite the legal challenges and risks.
- ⚖️ Rafa has a criminal history and was deported in 2009, which complicates his ability to return to the U.S. legally.
- 💵 El Salvador’s reliance on the U.S. dollar, while beneficial for the American economy, has increased poverty for many Salvadorans.
- 💼 Call centers are one of the few viable employment options for English-speaking deportees in El Salvador, where wages remain low.
- 🔫 Gang violence remains a major threat in El Salvador, with children as young as eight being recruited, leading families like Rafa’s to seek asylum in the U.S.
- 🚸 Rafa’s efforts to secure legal entry for his son into the U.S. through visas have been denied, forcing him to consider illegal methods.
- 🛂 The U.S.’s increasingly strict immigration policies and cuts to foreign aid exacerbate the challenges for families seeking to escape violence and poverty.
- 🛑 Rafa’s family, particularly his daughters in the U.S., are supporting Jacob and advocating for his safe relocation to provide him with better opportunities.
Q & A
What event is being described at the beginning of the script?
-The script begins by describing a scene in Tijuana where a group of migrants peacefully protested, but a small group broke off and rushed toward the fence at the U.S. border.
What is the primary reason many of the Central Americans in the caravan are trying to cross into the U.S.?
-Many of the Central Americans in the caravan are seeking to reunify with their families and escape violence or poverty in their home countries.
Who is Rafa, and why was he deported from the U.S.?
-Rafa is a deported immigrant who lived in the U.S. for over 30 years. He was deported in 2009 after being convicted of three crimes related to theft between 1992 and 2001.
What challenges does Rafa face now that he has returned to El Salvador?
-Rafa struggles with being treated as a foreigner in El Salvador, finding it hard to adjust to life there. He faces higher prices as a non-local and deals with the constant threat of gang violence.
Why does Rafa want to send his son Jacob to the U.S., and what obstacles has he faced in doing so?
-Rafa wants to send Jacob to the U.S. for safety, better education, and a brighter future. However, his attempts to get Jacob a tourist or student visa have been denied, as U.S. authorities suspect that Jacob would stay illegally.
What role do Rafa’s daughters play in supporting Jacob and Rafa’s family?
-Rafa's daughters, all U.S. citizens, provide financial support to Rafa and Jacob. They help with expenses like food and tuition to ensure Jacob can have a better life.
What is the living situation for Jacob and Rafa in El Salvador?
-Jacob and Rafa live in poverty, relying on support from Rafa's daughters in the U.S. Rafa works in a call center, one of the few decent jobs available for English-speaking deportees in El Salvador.
How has the U.S. immigration policy affected Rafa and his family?
-U.S. immigration policy has kept Rafa and his family apart, making it nearly impossible for him to reunite with his son Jacob or return to the U.S. legally. Attempts to secure legal visas for Jacob have been repeatedly denied.
What is Rafa’s plan to bring Jacob to the U.S., and what risks are involved?
-Rafa plans to take Jacob to Guatemala legally, then cross into Mexico illegally and eventually attempt to cross into the U.S. This journey is dangerous, involving risks such as kidnapping, gang violence, and even death.
What challenges does Rafa’s daughter Kimberly face in her attempts to adopt Jacob?
-Kimberly and her partner Daphne considered adopting Jacob, but El Salvador’s strict adoption policies made it nearly impossible for them to do so, despite their financial ability and desire to provide Jacob a better life.
Outlines
🔍 A Family Torn by Immigration and Violence
The scene opens in Tijuana, where a caravan of Central American migrants peacefully protests before some attempt to rush the U.S. border. The story follows Jacob and his family, who are caught in the cycle of deportation. Rafa, Jacob’s father, once lived in the U.S. but was deported, leaving him and his son in El Salvador. Determined to give Jacob a better life, Rafa is willing to take drastic actions to reunite with his family in the U.S., despite the risk of losing public sympathy.
🧠 The Struggle for Jacob’s Future
Rafa talks about Jacob’s future, emphasizing safety, education, and a better life in the U.S. He discusses his limited contact with Jacob’s mother, who is in the U.S., and the difficulties he faces as an outsider in El Salvador. Despite living there for over a decade, Rafa is treated like a foreigner, which isolates him and his son, who faces similar challenges due to his English-speaking background.
🛑 The Persistent Threat of Violence
Rafa reflects on his experience of being shot in El Salvador, highlighting the constant danger posed by gang violence. He shares his concerns about Jacob’s safety and his unsuccessful attempts to secure a U.S. visa for his son. Gangs recruit children as young as eight, and violence remains a dominant force. Rafa’s efforts to legally bring Jacob to the U.S. were blocked, leaving him devastated and his family in America powerless to help.
🏠 Creating a Safe Haven for Jacob
Rafa's daughter Kimberly and her fiancée Daphne describe their efforts to create a safe and welcoming environment for Jacob in the U.S. Kimberly recalls visiting El Salvador and witnessing the harsh realities of poverty and violence. The economic situation in El Salvador, worsened by the introduction of the U.S. dollar as the national currency, leaves many families struggling to survive. Remittances from family members in the U.S. have become vital for those left behind.
🔄 The Cycle of Deportation and Labor
The narrative shifts to the economic challenges facing deportees, many of whom work in call centers due to their English skills. Rafa, who works at a call center, explains that remittances from the U.S. are crucial for survival. His daughter Kimberly reflects on how difficult life would be for Jacob without financial support, fearing he would be malnourished or succumb to illness. U.S. foreign aid to El Salvador is also decreasing, which could worsen the already dire conditions.
🎒 Rafa’s Plan to Take Jacob to the U.S.
Rafa reveals his plan to take Jacob to the U.S., involving illegal border crossings. He acknowledges the dangers but remains determined to provide his son with a better future, even though this decision may lead to further separation. The video ends with Rafa discussing the risks and complexities of attempting to cross the U.S. border illegally, despite the likelihood of being caught. He is torn between wanting to reunite his family and the reality of increasingly strict immigration policies.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Caravan
💡Deportation
💡Gang violence
💡Remigration
💡Asylum
💡Family separation
💡Immigration policies
💡Revolving door
💡Call centers
💡U.S. dollarization
Highlights
Central American migrants peacefully protesting, with a small group rushing toward the fence, creating the perception of storming the U.S. border.
Rafa Arturo, deported back to El Salvador after living in the U.S. for 30 years, shares his experience of trying to reunite with his family.
Rafa reveals that his deportation followed three convictions related to theft between 1992 and 2001.
Despite his claims of being a U.S. Marine, no proof of Rafa's military service was found.
Rafa's young son, Jacob, is now facing a similar journey north, driven by safety concerns and the promise of better education in the U.S.
Rafa recounts being shot in El Salvador, narrowly surviving after being hit by two bullets during a gang-related shooting.
Rafa’s attempts to secure legal visas for Jacob, including a tourist and student visa, were denied by U.S. authorities.
Rafa’s daughters, U.S. citizens, are supporting Jacob financially, fearing he could die from malnourishment or sickness in El Salvador.
Remittances sent from the U.S. make up 20% of El Salvador’s GDP, with deported individuals often relying on family support to survive.
Rafa works in a call center in El Salvador, one of the few viable employment options for English-speaking deportees.
El Salvador has one of the highest murder rates in the world, with gang violence being a major reason for migration.
Kimberly, Rafa's eldest daughter, describes the harsh realities of poverty in El Salvador and the difficulty of supporting Jacob.
Rafa plans to cross illegally into Mexico and eventually seek asylum in the U.S., risking rejection under increasingly harsh immigration policies.
The U.S. government’s zero-tolerance policy criminalizes illegal border crossing, making Rafa's hopes of asylum difficult.
Kimberly and Daphne considered adopting Jacob, but El Salvador's strict adoption policies hindered their efforts.
Rafa faces the dilemma of risking Jacob’s future by taking illegal actions, knowing it could result in deportation and a ban from the U.S.
Transcripts
this is the scene in Tijuana today
earlier hundreds in the caravan were
peacefully protesting that's when a
small gear broke off and brushed toward
the fence Americans are inundated with
images of migrants storming the US
border but for many of these Central
Americans this isn't their first time
across you used to live in the u.s. yeah
by all intents and purposes you were an
American yeah yeah the world that we
live in we can't reunify our family it's
part of a vicious cycle decades in the
making we were alerted to yet another
shooting here I got shot with a 38 you
afraid of
JP getting shot yeah this is Jacob so we
follow one family caught up in this
revolving door we have this like thing
here operation that keeps spinning with
no clear end in sight
your basic gambling your son's entire
future this because you want him to
leave right now
minute you take an illegal course of
action people's sympathy for you is
gonna vanish I don't want nobody
sympathy you know I could care less what
anybody says that's apparent I'll do
whatever it takes to get my son to the
next step
[Music]
each week about three plane loads of
migrants were deported from the US are
flown in and essentially brought to this
immigration processing center here in
South Salvador buses like this can bring
in a variety of people whether it's men
women or children but today mostly
occupants were adult males Salvadorans
are among the largest groups of
undocumented immigrants deported from
the US
[Music]
everyone here has repatriated with the
Salvadoran government they're given back
whatever they could carry and released
for many this is a foreign country they
should be goes for you
you know their union but every 25
Thursday
you lived in the United States for 30
years virtually behind
it's almost like you get it now it's
been a in my granddaughter
so you have no one who
many of the people sent back to El
Salvador have no support system here so
they eventually attempt to return north
again Rafa Arturo was deported back to
El Salvador in 2009 he says his parents
smuggled him across the US border when
he was a child you used to live in the
u.s. yes well I had a life I was married
over there you know I had four children
you were by all intents and purposes you
were in America
yeah yeah Rafa is eligible to reapply
for a green card ten years after his
deportation date but the u.s. is
increasingly hardline immigration
policies and the circumstances under
which he left imperiled his chance of
ever returning how did you end up back
here
I didn't Desmond you know and that's
what brought me here you know records
reveal however that Rafa was convicted
of three different crimes related to
theft between 1992 and 2001
it wasn't the only questionable detail
he provided when discussing what led to
his deportation you know we fought my
case and court I thought that bringing
my military services he's gonna help
to be more news you served time in the
military you were marine you were in
theater in the marine yeah Rafa offered
no proof of his service in the US
Marines and we were unable to
independently verify his claim
okay what it'll take
Rapha now has a young son and he's
determined to see him grow up in the
u.s. like he did wake up Jacob will soon
follow the same path his father took
four decades ago the reason why I want
to send Jacob to the states is my one is
safety
you know that's number one education a
better and look on life you know right
now his pronunciation in English is not
that great which is okay you know bad
arm he understands like just about
everything here you go come on player
it's a little hot come on you gotta blow
on it so where is his mother his mama
Archie's in the States she's I don't
know she's in Texas or in North Carolina
I haven't had contact since the baby was
like about a year and four months so
this is Sammy Stellaluna this is where
they sell the seafood so how how
familiar are you with this area well I
come here let's put the silicon die
Spencer or so you don't know they're no
even after a decade in El Salvador Rafa
says he's still an outsider should you
come here I I don't come the reason why
I don't come is because I don't get the
deals right because I'm a foreigner so
like the love charge yeah they love
charge me this is like a foreign girl
yeah this is a foreign country yeah like
right now we're an attraction but just
me and my son are attraction because I
walked right here and I talk to him in
English so everybody says well he speaks
English at the school you'll you'll see
La among giggling he talked of English
the little white guy who speaks English
that's that's his little nickname
Rapha returned to an el salvador that
was completely foreign to him and it's
also become much more dangerous in 2015
el salvador had one of the highest
murder rates in the world
since then the homicide rate has
steadily declined but the threat of gang
violence persists we were alerted to yet
another shooting here and this is one of
the driving forces that compels so many
people to leave the country for the u.s.
in the 1990s the u.s. sought to rid its
city streets of gang violence and sent
Salvadoran immigrants that had joined
gangs on US soil back to their home
country they wreaked havoc on vulnerable
communities it set in motion a
decades-long cycle of deportation and re
migration that continues to this day
I got shot with a 38
I had like a 50 cent size hold on both
of my sides it happened in front of my
house I saw this guy like pass by he
looked at me and I looked at him and and
then when I saw I found before the gun I
just died running I remember he saw it
eight shots and then to hit me you
afraid of Jacob getting shot yeah yeah
gangs in El Salvador start recruiting
kids as young as eight years old in 2017
alone 540 children were murdered here
the vast majority resulting from gang
violence okay
shortly after Rafa was shot he tried to
get Jacob a tourist visa so he could
interview to attend a school in the US
legally but it was denied they suspected
that if Jacob were to go on as a tourist
that he would end up just staying
exactly they said no they said no the
school then sent a letter verifying
Jacobs application to enroll so Rafa
requested a student visa but that too
was rejected my two daughters were going
to take the home front of
the housing the food paying the tuition
whatever not and all didn't I said I see
yes a mr. Jacobs visa rejection was
devastating not only to Rafa but to his
daughters in America who are ready to
take him in
[Music]
it's a caption he's super into cars so
we got him this carpet right here
[Music]
not like teaches him how to like write
and everything we wouldn't IKEA bought
his little drawer and bed so this is the
living room it's my sister's they're
here 90% of the time
Kimberley is the oldest of Rufus four
daughters all US citizens she and her
fiance Daphne aren't giving up hope that
Jacob will someday live with them we
wanted to make us safe and adaptable
environment for him because it is a very
big change from oh Salvador to Carrie we
have this like thing here operation
bring Jacob home this was a picture of
me and my dad I knew I was like super
young after her father's deportation
Kimberly didn't see Rafa for nearly
eight years in 2017
she and Daphne traveled to El Salvador
for the first time and saw that violence
wasn't the only danger Jacob faced it
was surreal it was quiet it was it was
beautiful at the same time was saddening
because you walk down the street and you
see like three people like begging for
food and it's like if you see
homelessness here in the United States
but homeless is there it's just a
complete other level
it's another side of living nearly
one-third of Salvadorans live in poverty
Rafa says that replacing the country's
currency with the US dollar in 2001
cause the prices of goods to increase
making it harder for those already
struggling to get by so everything is
calculated here in dollars yeah yeah
yeah yeah footprints of America oh yeah
yeah I mean it's in a way bit it's good
for America but now for the people right
here it Bob poverty d'amour
because the people that were living mid
life are now poor now and with tender
little day it's ten dollars but yeah it
sounds good it's not the dollar doesn't
go very far
no not right here so right here minimum
wage is 215 an hour for me that I speak
English that's me for them is probably
about 75 cents or 50 cents an hour for
you because you speak English because I
speak English and I worked in a call
center
[Music]
call centers are thriving in places like
El Salvador where thousands of
english-speaking deportees are a source
of cheap labor so this is one of the
major commercial districts here in San
Salvador there are a number of big call
centers servicing many American
companies there's a revolving door for
people who are deported from the US they
come back here to a country that made
are completely foreign to and working in
a call center with their with their
English skills is really one of the only
decent ways to earn a living even those
with jobs often rely on donations from
friends and family in America to make
ends meet remittances make up a
staggering twenty percent of El
Salvador's annual GDP you guys are
currently supporting Jacob yeah if you
weren't supporting them how would your
dad and how would Jacob get by honestly
I feel like he'd be dead Jacob wouldn't
be dead yep there's no way it can be
simply not being able to provide food
for him and him just be malnourished you
know and then just having a weak immune
system and then just one day some
sickness just take him and that's how a
lot of kids go the United States Agency
for International Development reported
that in 2015 the u.s. gave 332 million
dollars in foreign aid to El Salvador
but the current administration is
looking to slash that finger by 86%
which would further hinder efforts to
provide better healthcare job
opportunities and crackdown on gang
violence factors driving many we were
sent back here to return to the u.s.
regardless of the risks okay oh did you
hear the yellow one with the blue so
today so I have to show proof of where
I'm living at now so I bought the the
light bill I have to pay $35 so I could
go ahead and how the paperwork done so I
could take Jake up out good charge that
was Kimberly you don't wanna say hello
Kimberly and Daphne here say Italian
apropos tell Kimberly oh Jenny can tell
Kimberly definitely hi Daphne okay push
it okay love you okay
[Music]
my sister my sister only sent a picture
he's like what are you doing Jenny my
sister yeah he just sent it to me on the
what's up apps hey Dad I'm here at the
house where you guys that did you guys
go to a lake let's shake up up to have
him send me a message please
so right now we're on our way to the
mall we're gonna get Jacob some stuff
for his birthday his belated birthday
yes I want Jacob here at home with us
and he's not here you know because he
was born in the wrong country you know
just because like the world in the
society that we live in
we can't reunify our family so we kind
of have to live our memories and like
moments through photos and videos no one
should have to live a life or see
pictures of their siblings or parents
children growing up through videos and
photos u.s. immigration policies aren't
the only thing keeping the family apart
Kym and Daphne considered adopting Jacob
but El Salvador strict policies made it
virtually impossible for them to do so
in my mind that's how I'm gonna be when
I see them but I know it's not gonna be
like that today I'm pretty sure that she
doesn't have any recollection of me and
I thought we talk now a lot more Sona
knows me by pictures and you know our
little conversations that we have
soon Rafa plans to take Jacob out of El
Salvador just as his parents did when he
was a small child so you're gonna get on
a bus go into Guatemala legally legally
and then you get off the bus at the
border at Mexico yeah gotta cross
illegally and I gotta cross the illegal
once in Mexico Rafa hopes to seek asylum
and Thapa Chula a transit town for
migrants heading north from there he'll
embark on the nearly 2500 mile journey
to the US border United States if you
break the law you go to jail and you're
separated from your family shouldn't be
any different for illegal arrest but in
the midst of increasingly harsh border
restrictions issued by the US government
including a zero-tolerance policy that
criminalizes an illegal border crossing
Rafa is placing Jacob on a path of great
risk I can't even begin sympathize with
with you
your desire to get both yourself and
your son into safety and into a place
where you can raise him properly but the
minute you take an illegal course of
action a lot of Americans both you know
private citizens and the system is just
gonna say you know what why should we
you know grant you Asylum or you know a
stay in the US you broke the law right
there I mean I didn't wanted to go we
were gonna sit down so I go study over
there he come back yeah a leader in the
community here in El Salvador so you
could be a better didn't want me is that
I'm sending my son to be on welfare or
anything like that my daughters are not
even on anything like that you know
they're law-abiding citizens they're
hard-working girls and other ministers
with my son is to be a hard-working
citizen there are so many more people
who are in the same boat as you
and Americans saying what we've taken as
many people as we could but we can't as
soon as you cross that line people
sympathy for you is gonna vanish well I
don't want nobody sympathy you know
first of all you know I I know what I
did is wrong and everything as you say
all of this and I think as an American
who thinks that we have a responsibility
to take people in right it is who we are
as a people it is what doesn't me in
this country but in your case the series
of rule-breaking you know you but if you
keep breaking the law why the hell
why would the government say you know
what you deserve a sec a third chance
it's not gonna happen
it's just what could I tell you um you
know there's nothing that you anybody
could tell me there's gonna take my mind
away from where I'm at
[Music]
one of the things that that your dad
said was it he says that his goal in the
short term is to get into Mexico
earn some money and eventually settle in
Tijuana so that you'll just be a
three-hour drive from from him and Jacob
but he's also holding out the
possibility that well you know once I
get there get enough money and I'll get
Jacob into the country however I need to
legally or illegally and if all the
legal up you know pathways have been
exhausted does a coyote you know he
can't do it's just not gonna work my dad
has this me too like we're in danger now
you need to leave now now now now and
then it's just like I understand but we
can't right now in the fiscal year
ending September 2016 a record seventeen
thousand five hundred unaccompanied
Salvador and children were apprehended
at the border almost twice as many as in
the previous year bring him here
illegally and he gets caught not only
will he be sent back but he will be
barred and that'll be on you you're a
basic gambling your son's entire future
yes because you want him to leave right
if you think about the long-term
consequences you think about where you
are here today as a result of some
mistake you made because you were yeah
we should have made a bad call
yeah well the same goes for Jacob like
what if he gets deported that's apparent
I'll do whatever it takes to to get my
son to the next step
but before Jacob even reaches America
and the possible threat of deportation
the journey itself is fraught with
dangers that are far worse by kidnapping
or even death
[Music]
yes yes mmm
as you guys have learned having gone
through all the paperwork to try to get
Jacob into a school but not that fair or
not
Jacob's chances have been minimized
based on the fact that he is his father
son yeah definitely
Neph Superman Superman the full costume
you know like we're not asking for the
father to come we're just asking for him
to come a five-year-old who's not going
to take your job or being welfare we fit
the right criteria we make most more
money than most people it still isn't
enough you know they just like no we
just don't want people from Latin
America coming into our country what was
the difference between like 90s 2000s
immigrants and now immigrants it's the
same people they're just different
generation they're still have the same
goal they still want to come live here
everybody that comes here just wants the
white picket fence dream
[Music]
yes
[Music]
[Music]
you
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