‘The Deportation of Innocence’

Sep 16, 2015
9:00 AM
After Jaime was deported to Tijuana, his two children were placed in foster care

After Jaime was deported to Tijuana, his two children were placed in foster care

When Deni Alarcon came across an article discussing how U.S.-born children in Mexico were having trouble fitting in at school, she wanted to learn more about the issue. Instead of doing a simple Google search for more articles or looking through the stacks at her local library, she did what few people dare to: she decided to make a documentary.

The 52-minute film she produced, The Deportation of Innocence, was directed by her brother Francisco who studied film directing and writing at the University of California Los Angeles Extension. Filmed for nearly three years, the documentary follows four children as their parents undergo deportation. The filmmakers spoke with lawyers, social workers, academics and priests with years of experience on the issue of family separation and reunification.

The Deportation of Innocence is currently in post-production, for which the filmmakers are looking to raise at least $6,000. So far they’ve raised $1,740 in just eight days, and there are 34 days left as of this writing.

For more information on the film and the crowdfunding campaign, visit the film’s Indiegogo page. You can also Like the film on Facebook.