Germano: Migration causes strife in Mexico
The director and producer conducted more than 700 interviews with the inhabitants of Mexican towns that have lost more than half of their population to America for his documentary, "The Other Side of Immigration."
Germano discussed his film at a question-and-answer session Wednesday night after a screening hosted by the Latin American Studies Program as a part of the Immigration and Migration Initiative.
"It's been a dream come true to make a movie (in which) the people really resonate with the viewers," Germano said.
The documentary discusses the causes and impact of Mexican immigration and the lives of those towns and families in Mexico that it says have suffered tremendous loss from citizens leaving to live and work in the United States.
This is the story, Germano said, of what happens when the families and communities are left behind.
While the documentary ostensibly focuses the problems Mexico faces on the world stage, it also shines a light on internal problems.
Corruption in the Mexican government on every level and the country's reliance on its northern neighbors' opportunities serve to weaken Mexico's economy and its national identity, Germano argues in the film.
Those interviewed for the film contend that government officials are only concerned with themselves.
Although the country has suffered much from American competition, the biggest problem those interviewed identified is the Mexican public's attitude.
Mexico's citizens, one migrant said, do not care for one another like those in other countries.
If efforts materialized to improve the country and its domestic opportunities, its citizens, Germano contended, could enjoy living in their own country with their own families.
"If we invest in Mexico, people won't want to leave," one migrant worker said.
The U.S. spends $4 million to build one mile of border fence, according to Germano, who argued that sum could send hundreds of migrants to college, who could in turn to benefit their home country.