As I edit my new documentary, I’ve been thinking a lot about lessons I learned while making The Other Side of Immigration. The Other Side of Immigration was my first film, and I didn’t really know what I was doing when I set out to make it. I wasn’t a filmmaker; I was a grad student studying political science at the time. I didn’t have any funding. I didn’t have a crew. No knowledge of how the independent film business worked. All I had was a story that I wanted to tell and the determination to use video to tell it. After a lot of trial and error and 16-hour days, I figured some things out and ultimately made a film that won some awards, got some good press, was picked up by a great distributor, and is still screening publicly three years after it’s premiere. Here are some random things I learned along the way.

• Keep costs low. Documentaries don’t usually make a lot of money. Use modest equipment and wear as many hats as possible to keep your costs to a minimum. If you purchase equipment, consider selling it right after you’ve completed production—chances are it will be obsolete by the time you make your next film. If you have the right skills and good story to tell/perspective to offer, you can make a solid documentary for less than $5,000.

• Actively seek out critical feedback. Your family and friends don’t want to critique your work—they’re proud of you no matter what. Seek out honest feedback on rough cuts from people outside your immediate social circle. And make sure you’re your own harshest critic. Ask yourself, “Would I want to watch this?”

• Cut, cut, and cut some more. Most likely, your film is at least 15 minutes too long. Get comfortable cutting parts that aren’t essential—even if they’re clips you love. This is much easier said than done. I can’t emphasize this point enough: most documentaries are too long.

• Learn from failure. Over a dozen film festivals rejected what I thought was the final cut of The Other Side of Immigration. I almost abandoned the project, but decided to do two things instead: (1) I spent a couple months re-editing the film, making it more focused and reducing its run time by a half hour; (2) I revamped my film festival submission strategy. After that, the film was accepted to almost every festival I submitted it to.

• Get creative with your festival strategy. Dream big, but remember that very few films screen at Sundance, Toronto, or Cannes. Besides, no festival guarantees that lots of people will ultimately see your film. Submit to smaller, niche festivals that will attract your target audience. For me, this meant submitting to festivals oriented toward political, Latin American, and human rights issues.

• Don’t just put your film online for free. This is something you may want to do eventually, but I wouldn’t recommend it as your initial distribution strategy. Build some buzz around your project before releasing it to the public. You’ll reach more people in the long run.

• Organize a tour. Bands promote new songs and albums by going on tour. Filmmakers should do the same. Contact universities, community organizations, and other institutions that might be interested in your film’s message. Charge for your screenings when possible to help you recoup your investment and get the ball rolling on your next project—it’s okay to make a living from your work! Write up a booking contract to make your events official.

• Learn how to write a good press release. Then send it to every TV, radio station, alt weekly, blog, and newspaper in every town your film screens in. Tailor your press release to the news of the day if your film is about a current events issue.

• Use viral videos, social media, blogging, and outreach partnerships to get the word out. Maybe you can’t afford to advertise (I certainly couldn’t), but there are many free ways to spread the word about your film. Try making trailers and promo videos that people share online—who knows, maybe one will go viral. Definitely set up a website, Facebook page, Twitter account, and a blog to keep people posted. Contact groups, nonprofit organizations, and businesses that might be interested in your film’s content and ask them to help you spread the word and turn people out to screenings.

• Don’t jump into a distribution deal just because one is offered. There are a lot of distributors out there who take 75% of sales (or who even ask you to pay in) and offer very little to you in return. If a distributor offers to release your film, ask a few key questions: (1) how many copies of your five bestselling titles have you sold in the past year?; (2) is this deal exclusive?; (3) where will you place my film?; (4) how will you promote it? Short of a big distribution deal, consider self-distribution or working with a small distributor that loves your movie, will give you a fair split on sales, and will work hard to help you get people to see it.

• Prepare for the long haul. People spend years making their documentary and promoting the finished product. Pick a topic/story that you’re extremely passionate about and prepare yourself to be involved with it for a long time. I would have never been able to finish my film or spend the past three years promoting it if I wasn’t committed to the film’s message and perspective.

If you have any specific questions about my experiences with documentary film, feel free to ask in the comments section and I’ll do my best to respond.

Read recent Congressional testimony by Kathy Martin of the New York Farm Bureau about how critical immigrants are to our farms and why so many farmers find it difficult to hire immigrants legally through the H-2A temporary farmworker visa program.

It's safe to say that most immigrants would rather fly over these mountains than hike through them.

Here’s a question I hear all the time: If it’s so difficult and dangerous to cross through the Arizona desert, why do so many immigrants choose to enter the country that way? Why don’t more immigrants just fly to the US on an airplane, pretend to be a tourist, then remain in the country indefinitely? It seems like a much easier and comfortable way to travel, right?

First off, many foreigners do enter the US as tourists and remain in the country, as I discussed in an earlier article. But in order to enter the country through a legal port of entry (e.g., an airport or border checkpoint), one has to first apply for and obtain permission from the US government in the form of something called a “visa.” There are all kinds of visas: tourist visas, student visas, temporary work visas, permanent resident visas, etc.

Temporary visas are valid for a particular period of time, then the visa holder is required to return to his or her home country. To “overstay” one’s visa means to remain in the US even after the term of the visa or visit has expired.

In most cases, Americans don’t even have to think about applying for a visa when we want to visit a foreign country. You just book the ticket, get on the plane, and present your passport when you reach your destination.

For foreigners who want to visit the US, the process is usually not so simple. Unless coming from one of the world’s 36 richest countries, foreigners generally have to apply for a visa even to take a simple vacation to the United States.

US embassies are particularly careful not to give tourist visas to people who seem like they might overstay their visa. It is therefore difficult for people from relatively poor countries to obtain a tourist visas to the US unless they are able to prove that their financial situation is healthy and their ties to home are strong. In other words, they have to prove that they have no intention (or little incentive) to overstay their visa.

Most Mexicans and Central Americans simply cannot prove this. They therefore enter through the Arizona desert because there’s no other option.

[Leer en español]  Some people who appeared in The Other Side of Immigration claimed that the Mexican population doesn’t have much information about all the social programs that are available to them. So I made a list. Please share this with people you know in Mexico. Note: don’t be too optimistic about these programs or assume that Mexico has a thriving welfare state. These programs are often underfunded, restricted to particular groups, and have application processes that are difficult to navigate. When I surveyed 700 rural Mexican households in 2008, I found that while many people knew about and received funds from Oportunidades, 70 y más, and PROCAMPO, hardly anyone had heard of any other the other programs or knew how to apply for them.

POVERTY REDUCTION PROGRAMS

• Oportunidades - The Opportunities Program is a direct cash transfer for elementary/secondary school scholarships, health services, and nutrition for infants and pregnant women. Stipends vary according to household circumstances, but when I conducted my survey in 2008, most Oportunidades beneficiaries were receiving about US$45 every two months, plus small scholarships for school-aged children and comparable stipends for senior citizens when applicable.
• El Programa 3 x 1 Para Migrantes - The 3 for 1 Program for Migrants gives Mexicans who live abroad the opportunity to channel resources to Mexico and fund social projects that directly benefit their communities of origin. For every peso that migrants contribute to a project, Mexico’s federal, state and municipal governments each contribute one peso for a total of three pesos. Hence the name, 3 for 1.
• Programa 70 y Más Adultos Mayores -The 70 and Over Program serves people aged 70 or older who live in towns with populations of up to 30,000. Recipients receive a stipend of 500 pesos per month (US$36), information about health facilities, and access to services provided by instituations like INAPAM.
• Atención a Jornaleros Agrícolas -The Attention to Agricultural Workers Program provides support for nutrition, health, infrastructure, education, and information and access to basic services to eligible farm workers and their families.

• Programa de Empleo Temporal (PET) - The Temporary Work Program provides temporary jobs and income to people affected by high unemployment and natural disasters.

• Programa Estancias Infantiles para Apoyar a Madres Trabajadoras - The Daycare for Working Mothers Program provides support to low income mothers with children between one and four years old (and between one and six years old for children with disabilities)

• Programa Opciones Productivas - The Productive Options program supports productive projects (small businesses) in impoverished areas.

• Programa Abasto Rural (Diconsa) -  This program supplies impoverished rural communities of populations between 200 and 2500 people with food and other basic goods.

• Programa “Tu Casa” (FONHAPO) - The program provides grants to acquire, build, finish, extend or improve housing for people living in poverty.

• Programa Vivienda Rural (FONHAPO) – This program provides economic support for rural or indigenous families in impoverished communities of 5,000 people or less to build, augment, or improve their home.

• Fondo Nacional para el Fomento de las Artesanías (FONHART) – The National Fund for the Promotion of Artisans provides training and funding for materials for artisans in impoverished areas.

• Programa Abasto Social de Leche (LICONSA) - Liconsa supplies stipends for subsidized milk to women, children, and senior citizens living in poverty.

RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

• El Programa Fondo para el Apoyo a Proyectos Productivos en núcleos Agrarios (FAPPA)  - The Fund to Support Productive Projects in Agricultural Zones (FAPPA) is aimed at men and women who live in farming communities, are not landowners, and who intend to start productive projects (small businesses) that create jobs and income for their family and community. Projects can be, for example, livestock, textiles, eco-tourism, rural stores, food production, and a variety of other services.

• El Programa de la Mujer en el Sector Agrario (PROMUSAG) - The Program for Women in the Agricultural Sector (PROMUSAG) is specifically aimed at women who reside in rural-agricultural communities to support productive projects (small businesses).

• Joven Emprendador Rural - The Enterprising Rural Youth program helps young people in rural-agricultural areas acquire or rent communal land. Beneficiaries receive training and technical assistance so that they may establish sustainable agricultural businesses and improve income and living standards.

AGRICULTURE & LIVESTOCK

• El Programa de Apoyos Directos al Campo (PROCAMPO) – The Program of Direct Support to Farmers (PROCAMPO) was put in place in 1993 as a way to transfer resources to farmers to compensate them for the loss of indirect subsidies, guaranteed prices, and subsidies received by foreign competitors. Subsidies are determined on the basis of the size of the farm.

Other programs that support for agriculture and livestock include:

• Programa de Producción Pecuaria Sustentable y Ordenamiento Ganadero y Apícola (nuevo PROGAN)
• Capitaliza
• Registro Alterno
• Programa de Soporte
• Programa de Prevencion y Manejo de Riesgos
• Programa para la Adquisición de Activos Productivos (Agrícola)
• Programa de Uso Sustentable de Recursos Naturales para la Producción Primaria (Reconversión Productiva)
• Programa de Atención a Problemas Estructurales (Diesel Agropecuario, Marino y Gasolina Ribereña)
• Apoyo a la Participación de Actores para el Desarrollo Rural (Fomento a la Organización Rural)
• Programa Especial de Energía para el Campo en Materia de Energía de Uso Agrícola
• Programa de Fortalecimiento a la Organización Rural (Sistema Producto)
• Programa de Atención a Contingencias Climatologicas (PACC)
• Programa de Uso Sustentable de los Recursos Naturales para la Producción Primaria
• Programa de Activos Productivos
• Proyecto Regional de Asistencia Técnica al Microfinanciamiento Rural (PATMIR)

OFFICES

Secretaría de Desarrollo Social (SEDESOL)
Av. Paseo de la Reforma 116, Col. Juárez,
Del. Cuauhtémoc, C.P. 06600, México, D.F.
Tel. 55-53-28-50-00

http://www.sedesol.gob.mx

Fideicomiso Fondo Nacional de Habitaciones Populares (FONHAPO)
Insurgentes Sur 3483 PB
Col. Villa Olímpica Miguel Hidalgo
Del. Tlalpan, C.P. 14020, México D.F.
Tel. 01 800 366-2384

http://www.fonhapo.gob.mx

Secretaría de la Reforma Agraria (SRA)
Av. H. Escuela Naval Militar # 669,
Col. Presidentes Ejidales
Deleg. Coyoacán. C.P. 04470, México D.F.
Tel. 55-56-24 -00-00

http://www.sra.gob.mx

Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca, y Alimentación (SAGARPA)
Municipio Libre 377, Col. Santa Cruz Atoyac
Delegación Benito Juárez,
C.P. 03310, México, D.F.
Tel: 55-38-71-10-00

http://www.sagarpa.gob.mx/

Liconsa
Ricardo Torres No. 1
Fracc. Lomas de Sotelo
Naucalpan de Juárez
Estado de México C.P 53390
Tel. 52-37-91-00

http://www.liconsa.gob.mx/

Diconsa
Insurgentes Sur 3483
Col. Villa Olímpica Miguel Hidalgo
Del. Tlalpan
C.P. 14020, México D.F.
Tel. 01-800-08-342-66-72

http://www.diconsa.gob.mx/

[Read in English] Alguna gente que apareció en la pelicular El Otro Lado de la Inmigración declaraba que la mayoría de los mexicanos no tiene mucha información sobre los programas sociales que están disponibles en su país. Por eso hice una lista de ellos. Compártela con tus amigos. Aviso: que no asumas por el tamaño de esta lista que México tiene un estado de bienestar muy fuerte. En muchos casos los programas sociales son bajo financiados, restringidos a grupos predeterminados, y tienen procesos de solicitud que son muy difíciles de navegar. Cuando apliqué una encuesta de 700 hogares en México en 2008, encontré que aunque mucha gente recibe fondos de los programas Oportunidades, 70 y más, y PROCAMPO, casi nadie había escuchado de los otros programas y no sabe como solicitar para ellos.

DESARROLLO SOCIAL

• Oportunidades – Hay apoyos en efectivo para becas educativas, servicios de salud y complementos alimenticios para niños menores de 5 años y mujeres embarazadas.

• El Programa 3 x 1 Para Migrantes – El Programa 3×1 para Migrantes apoya las iniciativas de los mexicanos que viven en el exterior y les brinda la oportunidad de canalizar recursos a México, en obras de impacto social que benefician directamente a sus comunidades de origen. Funciona con las aportaciones de clubes o federaciones de migrantes radicados en el extranjero, la del Gobierno Federal -a través de Sedesol-, y la de los gobiernos Estatal y Municipal. Por cada peso que aportan los migrantes, los gobiernos Federal, estatal y municipal ponen 3 pesos; por eso se llama 3×1.

• Programa 70 y Más Adultos Mayores – El Programa 70 y Más atiende a los adultos mayores de 70 años o más que vivan en localidades de hasta 30 mil habitantes. Los beneficiarios reciben apoyos económicos de 500 pesos mensuales, que se paga cada dos meses; participan en grupos de crecimiento y jornadas informativas sobre temas de salud y obtienen facilidades para el acceso a servicios y apoyos de instituciones como el INAPAM, además de las que ofrecen actividades productivas y ocupacionales.

• Atención a Jornaleros Agrícolas – Contribuir a la protección social de los hombres y mujeres jornaleros agrícolas de 16 años y sus familias, mediante acciones de ampliación de sus capacidades, otorgando apoyos en alimentación, salud, infraestructura, educación e información y acceso a los servicios básicos.

• Programa de Empleo Temporal (PET) – El Programa de Empleo Temporal (PET) atiende a las personas afectadas por la baja oferta laboral o por fenómenos naturales, con apoyos económicos temporales por su participación en proyectos de beneficio familiar o comunitario.

• Programa Estancias Infantiles para Apoyar a Madres Trabajadoras – Estancias Infantiles para Apoyar a Madres Trabajadoras es un Programa que apoya a las madres que trabajan, buscan empleo o estudian y a los padres solos con hijos o niños bajo su cuidado entre 1 y hasta 3 años 11 meses de edad (un día antes de cumplir los 4 años) y entre 1 y hasta 5 años 11 meses de edad (un día antes de cumplir los 6 años) en caso de niños o niñas con alguna discapacidad, que viven en hogares con ingresos mensuales de hasta 1.5 salarios mínimos per cápita, a través de subsidios a los servicios de cuidado y atención infantil para sus hijos.

• Programa Opciones Productivas – Opciones Productivas es un programa que apoya proyectos productivos de la población que vive en condiciones de pobreza, incorporando en ellos el desarrollo de capacidades humanas y técnicas como elementos para promover su sustentabilidad económica y ambiental.

• Programa Abasto Rural (Diconsa) – Abastecer localidades rurales de alta y muy alta marginación y de 200 a 2500 habitantes con productos básicos.

• Programa “Tu Casa” (FONHAPO) – El programa otorga subsidios para adquirir, edificar, terminar, ampliar o mejorar la vivienda de la población que vive en pobreza patrimonial.

• Programa Vivienda Rural (FONHAPO) – Apoya económicamente a familias rurales o indígenas para la edificación de Unidades Básicas de Vivienda Rural o para ampliar y mejorar su vivienda actual que vivan en localidades rurales o indígenas de hasta 5 mil habitantes de alta o muy alta marginación.

• Fondo Nacional para el Fomento de las Artesanías (FONHART) – Fonart contribuye al mejoramiento del ingreso familiar de los artesanos que preservan técnicas y diseños tradicionales  en regiones de alta y muy alta marginación que por su situación geográfica no pueden acceder a los mercados de artesanías. Apoya a los artesanos de manera individual con recursos económicos para la adquisición de materia prima, herramientas de trabajo y gastos vinculados al proceso productivo artesanal. Los montos máximos de inversión por beneficiario en cada proyecto serán de 10,000 pesos una sola vez al año, de acuerdo a sus necesidades manifestadas.

• Programa Abasto Social de Leche (LICONSA) – Liconsa otorga, mediante una transferencia de ingreso, una dotación de leche de la más alta calidad nutricional, a precio subsidiado, a los hogares en condiciones de pobreza con niñas y niños de seis meses a doce años de edad, mujeres en período de gestación o lactancia, mujeres adolescentes de 13 a 15 años, mujeres de 45 a 59 años de edad, enfermos y/o discapacitados y adultos de 60 y más años, que cumplan con los criterios de elegibilidad establecidos que justifiquen su condición.

DESARROLLO RURAL

• El Programa Fondo para el Apoyo a Proyectos Productivos en núcleos Agrarios (FAPPA) – FAPPA está dirigido a mujeres y hombres que habitan en núcleos agrarios y que no son titulares de tierras, pero que tienen el propósito de poner en marcha proyectos productivos para generar oportunidades de empleo e ingreso para su familia y comunidad. Los proyectos productivos pueden ser por ejemplo, de índole ganadera, textil, ecoturismo, tiendas rurales, producción de alimentos o servicios varios.

• El Programa de la Mujer en el Sector Agrario (PROMUSAG) – PROMUSAG está dirigido específicamente a todas las mujeres que habitan en núcleos agrarios del medio rural, debidamente reconocidas por los mismos, con el fin de propiciar el fomento de actividades productivas en dicho segmento poblacional y con ello fortalecer las acciones de combate a la pobreza en el ámbito rural.

• Joven Emprendador Rural – Este programa fomenta el relevo generacional en la tenencia de la tierra, apoyando a los jóvenes de núcleos agrarios para adquirir o rentar tierra social. Los beneficiarios reciben asistencia técnica y capacitación para instrumentar proyectos productivos sustentables que mejoren sus ingresos y nivel de vida, arraigándolos en sus comunidades.

AGRICULTURA Y GANADERIA

• El Programa de Apoyos Directos al Campo (PROCAMPO) – El Programa de Apoyos Directos al Campo (PROCAMPO) se instrumenta a finales de 1993 y surge como un mecanismo de transferencia de recursos para compensar a los productores nacionales por los subsidios que reciben sus competidores extranjeros, en sustitución del esquema de precios de garantía de granos y oleaginosas. El PROCAMPO otorga un apoyo por hectárea.

Otros programas que apoyan la agricultura y ganaderia incluyen:

• Programa de Producción Pecuaria Sustentable y Ordenamiento Ganadero y Apícola (nuevo PROGAN)
• Capitaliza
• Registro Alterno
• Programa de Soporte
• Programa de Prevencion y Manejo de Riesgos
• Programa para la Adquisición de Activos Productivos (Agrícola)
• Programa de Uso Sustentable de Recursos Naturales para la Producción Primaria (Reconversión Productiva)
• Programa de Atención a Problemas Estructurales (Diesel Agropecuario, Marino y Gasolina Ribereña)
• Apoyo a la Participación de Actores para el Desarrollo Rural (Fomento a la Organización Rural)
• Programa Especial de Energía para el Campo en Materia de Energía de Uso Agrícola
• Programa de Fortalecimiento a la Organización Rural (Sistema Producto)
• Programa de Atención a Contingencias Climatologicas (PACC)
• Programa de Uso Sustentable de los Recursos Naturales para la Producción Primaria
• Programa de Activos Productivos
• Proyecto Regional de Asistencia Técnica al Microfinanciamiento Rural (PATMIR)

OFICINAS

Secretaría de Desarrollo Social (SEDESOL)
Av. Paseo de la Reforma 116, Col. Juárez,
Del. Cuauhtémoc, C.P. 06600, México, D.F.
Tel. 55-53-28-50-00

http://www.sedesol.gob.mx

Fideicomiso Fondo Nacional de Habitaciones Populares (FONHAPO)
Insurgentes Sur 3483 PB
Col. Villa Olímpica Miguel Hidalgo
Del. Tlalpan, C.P. 14020, México D.F.
Tel. 01 800 366-2384

http://www.fonhapo.gob.mx

Secretaría de la Reforma Agraria (SRA)
Av. H. Escuela Naval Militar # 669,
Col. Presidentes Ejidales
Deleg. Coyoacán. C.P. 04470, México D.F.
Tel. 55-56-24 -00-00

http://www.sra.gob.mx

Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca, y Alimentación (SAGARPA)
Municipio Libre 377, Col. Santa Cruz Atoyac
Delegación Benito Juárez,
C.P. 03310, México, D.F.
Tel: 55-38-71-10-00

http://www.sagarpa.gob.mx/

Liconsa
Ricardo Torres No. 1
Fracc. Lomas de Sotelo
Naucalpan de Juárez
Estado de México C.P 53390
Tel. 52-37-91-00

http://www.liconsa.gob.mx/

Diconsa
Insurgentes Sur 3483
Col. Villa Olímpica Miguel Hidalgo
Del. Tlalpan
C.P. 14020, México D.F.
Tel. 01-800-08-342-66-72

http://www.diconsa.gob.mx/

This view of illegal immigration is quite different than the view often expressed in American policy debates. In much of the U.S. policy discourse, illegal immigration is conceptualized as a phenomenon that begins at the U.S.-Mexico border, and therefore something that should be managed primarily through border enforcement.

The alternative outlook expressed by the Mexican policymaker, on the other hand, conceptualizes illegal immigration as something that begins deep in the Mexican countryside years or decades before one ever finds him/herself attempting to cross the border. To this policymaker, illegal immigration is a symptom of much larger social, economic, and political problems.

So is there any way to address those larger problems and, in the process, reduce illegal immigration?

Pepsi, the multinational soft drink company, seems to think so. Last February, The New York Times reported in an article titled “For Pepsi, a Business Decision With Social Benefit” that Pepsi has recently begun buying corn directly from Mexican farmers at guaranteed prices. The guaranteed price is critical for a few reasons. First, a guarantee provides small farmers insurance against extreme market fluctuations. When you take the risk and instability out of farming, more people will be willing to do it. The result is less migration to the United States. The guarantee allows these farmers to secure loans from banks so they can make the upfront investment in fertilizer, seeds, and land. If more people can get loans, then more people can buy inputs, which means more people are out in the fields instead of migrating. Finally, Pepsi is providing an alternative to regional buyers who may only pay farmers half the market price. This means more income at harvest.

According to the Times report, the effect of Pepsi’s intervention in local Mexican economies has meant far less illegal migration to the United States. With opportunities to make a stable and profitable living in their hometown, in other words, people in the Mexican countryside will almost always choose to remain at home rather than migrate illegally to the U.S.

For all its faults and problems, the Mexican government has made strides in recent years in establishing a number of interesting and effective programs that provide new opportunities to its citizens. Unfortunately, these programs are often underfunded and do not reach even a fraction of those who could benefit; their nevertheless worth a discussion.

One particularly interesting social program is the Enterprising Rural Youth and Land Fund program (Joven Emprededor Rural y Fondo de Tierras). In brief, this program provides training to young people living in agricultural areas so that they may increase yields on their farmers and market their goods more effectively. The program may furthermore provide funding to groups of young people to buy land or build a greenhouse.

According to the Mexican policymaker who was running this program in the state of Michoacán at the time of my research, the outcome has been fewer unauthorized migration flows to the U.S. because Enterprising Rural Youth gives young people in Mexico the training and capital they need to be successful at home. Listen to his story in this video.

So if Pepsi and the Mexican government are onto anything with these initiatives, I’d say it’s important to examine three key areas:

Education. People need education and skills in order to support their families and communities. Education may also demonstrate to young people that migrating isn’t the only option.

Opportunities. People need some way to put their skills to use and earn money. Without labor opportunities, people will migrate.

Stability. The existence of work isn’t enough. People need some guarantee that their income will be consistent over time. If existing labor opportunities involve too much risk or people can’t count on a stable income, they become more likely to migrate. NOTE: In my own research, I’ve found that income instability and economic risk are often more compelling motivators to migrate than absolute poverty. See early theoretical work on this idea by Oded Stark and David Levhari, for example.

If given the choice, most of us would pick wealthy, loving families in rich countries like Italy, France, the United States, or Canada. But we don’t get to pick. We don’t do anything to earn the blessings or misfortunes we are born with.

Imagine being born in a very remote, poor village—a place where time seems to have stopped a couple hundred years ago. In a place like this, there is no civil registry, no hospitals. Just farms, homes, and maybe a market and small plaza.

Maria, my nanny when I was a child, is from a town like this.

Maria is the most hard working, honest, noble person I know; a person that I love and admire for her selflessness and integrity. Residents of her hometown used to survive by growing corn. Although their corn is the most delicious I have ever tasted, changes in government policy and the market made it impossible for Maria’s family to make a living on the land. Her brothers migrated illegally to the United States, and, at the age of 16, she went to Mexico City to earn what she could as a maid. She ended up at my grandmother’s house, and continues working there to this day.

As a child, I remember asking Maria when her birthday is. “I don’t have one,” she told me. “I don’t know what day I was born.”

As a child, I couldn’t comprehend why Maria didn’t know her birthday. I couldn’t understand why no one recorded it, why she wasn’t issued a birth certificate.

As odd as it may sound, people like Maria are in some sense “illegal” or “undocumented” in their own country. Maria has no way to prove who she is or where she comes from simply because there was no system for keeping records in her town when she was born. Many people from her town do not have bank accounts, tax statements, or proof of income, much less birth certificates.

Maria, Jasive's nanny

I was born to a privileged family in Mexico City. Five years ago, I fell in love with an American and we married. I am now a permanent resident of the United States. Despite my ability to prove my income and my identity, entering the United States through legal channels was a very long, painful, and expensive process. After going through that process, I’ve wondered how someone like Maria or her brothers could ever enter the U.S. legally when they don’t even have the ability to prove who they are in their own country. The truth is, they can’t.

I am in the U.S. legally because I was born to a privileged family. It breaks my heart that some of the people I love most must risk their lives crossing through the desert and live a life of fear when their only sin was being born in the wrong place.

Originally from Mexico City, Jasive Olivia Garza Castillon is currently a nursing student at Medical University of South Carolina.