Link: 
http://www.popsyndicate.com/archive/story/cochise_county_usa_cries_from_the_border
by Stefan Halley
a powerful film that shows how one community is being destoryed by illegal immigration
The issue of illegal immigrants is a huge problem facing the nation today. Floating around Congress right now are various bills with different ideas on how to deal with the problem. Genius Entertainment is releasing a documentary that takes a look at the issue of illegal aliens into Arizona and the people that live on the board who have to deal with it every day.
Cochise County, USA: Cries From the Border is a labor of love. Director Mercedes Maharis obviously feels passionate about this subject and it comes across in her objective look at the issue. From property damage to medical issues to border patrols to deportation, Maharis touches upon one issue after another leaving no area untouched. At barely over an hour, Cochise County, USA is a powerful film that shows how one community is being destoryed by illegal immigration.
Cochise County in Arizona is home to 130,000 individuals, yet around a million illegal immigrants cross through there every year turning into a hotbed of drug and human trafficking. It’s hard to imagine living in an area where you’re afraid to go home at night because someone might be hiding out on your land. Maharis looks into the lives of people scared by the steady flow of people looking for a better life. One woman is interviewed about owning a gun for the first time in her life because she is afraid of the things that go bump in the night.
In its mad dash to protect America from terrorists, the U.S. has sent hundreds of thousands of troops over seas yet fails to secure its own boarders. The idea that at any moment terrorists could just walk across from Mexico to the U.S. with very little stopping them is touched upon several times. True 98% of the people that come from Mexico are of Hispanic origins; the other 2% are made up of Asian, Eastern European, Middle Eastern and others. Meaning that the next terrorist attacks could come from someone that didn’t come through customs and we would never know was here.
The film doesn’t offer up any answers on how to stop illegal immigration. What it does do is show the steps common people are taking to make their lands more secure like forming a local militia to assist the border patrol.
Cochise County could have easily been another hour long to see some of the ideas in the film expanded to there fullest. It is packed with plenty of info and at times it flies by too quickly giving you little time to digest the facts you’ve been given before another screen pops up with even more facts.
Over all, Cochise County, USA is a compelling documentary that anyone interested in the issue of illegal immigration should watch. It will hopefully be seen by lots of people and get this nation talking about a serious issue that has no simple solution.
Genius Products will be releasing this film online to download on May 1st and then expect a DVD release on May 23rd. Go to www.criesfromtheborder.net for more information.
