"Frozen Dreams"
Allen Hallmark, 08.05.2010 00:12
"Frozen Dreams" is an eye-opener about how ICE terrorizes Latino workers and why we need real immigration reform.
Emiliana Aguilar introduces her film
(right to left) Emiliana with son, Elsa Martinez, Abdias Cortez, Zaida Villatoro
Kathy Keesee of Unete served as interpreter
Emiliana's husband Pedro, Dagoberto Morales of Unete and Gerry Cavanaugh
The former Del Monte workers support group
I wish all of you and your friends and neighbors could have attended last night's CPJ Film Nite, co-hosted by Southern Oregon Jobs with Justice and Unete. We showed a short documentary film, "Frozen Dreams," made by Emiliana Aguilar Reynosa and her friends who once worked for Del Monte Industries in Portland.
They made the film and started a community organization after a terrifying raid on the plant by federal Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) police in June of 2007. The film shows and explains why people in Mexico and Central America are forced to leave their homes in poor villages in their countries and take the dangerous trip to America and become undocumented workers. Then, it shows what happens to these families when ICE raids their place of employment and hauls them off to jail.
It describes their trials and tribulations with Immigration Court and how families are torn apart, some being deported immediately, others left in America indefinitely never knowing when La Migra will re-enter their lives and send them packing back to their impoverished villages where it is practically impossible to make a living.
Emiliana and three of the female workers who so far have not been deported appeared on a panel last night after the film was shown and answered questions and told their own stories in Spanish with Kathy Keesee of Unete serving as our noble interpreter.
A second panel consisting of Professor Gerry Cavanaugh, Dagoberto Morales of Unete and Pedro Aguilar (Emiliana's husband) shared their vision of the current political landscape regarding immigration and how they would like to see the laws changed to address the problems.
A couple of things are clear, the ICE raids like the one in Portland need to cease and desist and Congress needs to pass legislation that provides a clear path to legal status for the undocumented workers who are here, are not engaging in any criminal activity and just want to work and raise their families.
e-mail:: hallmark@mind.net
Homepage:: www.cpjmedford.org
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