Unpopular narratives

Film director Namrata Singh Gujral felt immediate compassion when she learned about a beautiful 6-year-old girl from India who died crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally last year. Her story and others inspired Gujral to produce a documentary, America’s Forgotten, to investigate. What she learned turned her preconceived ideas about illegal immigration upside down.

Gujral intended to show the plight and persecution of illegal aliens. Instead she found the narrative of her political party—the Democratic Party—to be false. She now believes the United States must do everything possible to stop illegal immigration—for the sake of all immigrants and all Americans.

The film explores why a mother from India would risk taking her young daughter on such a dangerous journey. The girl, Gurpreet, died of dehydration in the desert after smugglers left the two and promised an easy walk across the border.

Gujral visits India expecting to find Gurpreet’s family impoverished or persecuted. But she discovers a wealthy family facing no danger and grandparents weeping for a granddaughter.

Gujral next interviews Indians in poor districts and finds they have no desire to emigrate to America and don’t have the money ($50,000-$75,000) to pay smugglers anyway.

She records unscrupulous agents luring potential victims with promises about America. In one scene, smugglers play a clip from a Democratic Party presidential debate in which all candidates raise their hand in support of free healthcare for undocumented aliens.

Coyotes—human traffickers—never mention hazards of border crossing, such as a Department of Homeland Security statistic: One-third of women were sexually assaulted on their journey. Nor do they explain negative repercussions of living in the United States illegally, like the fear of reporting a crime to police because of a deportation risk.

The film’s other storylines seem somewhat disparate and rambling, but Gujral tries to coalesce them to illustrate how illegal immigration hurts everyone except coyotes, corporations that hire illegal immigrants for low wages, and politicians.

She speaks with parents of a man killed by an illegal alien who’d been previously deported and had DUI convictions. She talks to a woman who was raped repeatedly during her illegal border crossing, was sold to numerous people, and now lives in fear. She interviews homeless veterans who feel less impor­tant than illegal immigrants who get more media attention and benefits.

Gujral strengthens her conclusions with startling statistics and expert testimony. She also suggests an immigration solution worth exploring involving work visas.

Fearing this exposé (unrated and available to stream online) will get her blackballed by Hollywood liberals, she says, “You must have a willingness to consider evidence that contradicts your beliefs and admit … you may be wrong.”