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When The Mountains Tremble Film Analysis

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When The Mountains Tremble Film Analysis
The first five weeks of the course Latin America Through Another Lens has introduced me to another perspective on Latin America and immigration to the United States. We have watched film, read articles and completed research to better understand many Latin American countries and the people who call them home. Puerto Rico, Cuba, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Mexico, and San Salvador have all been considered in film and I found the movie When the Mountains Tremble to be especially moving. The course introduced me to immigration from Latin America to the United States and we took a closer look at five current myths that are often associated with Latin American immigration. I was very curious about the idea that immigrants are a drain on society’s resources. …show more content…
These immigrants make up 13 percent of the population and more than half of these migrants are from Latin America and the Caribbean (New York Times). These immigrants come to the United States to find jobs, go to school and to pursue the dream of providing for their family and living a good life. This dream was well represented in Balseros by Rafael Cano when he said he wanted a house, a car, and a good woman (Balseros). Immigrants come to the United States to pursue a better life for their families and this pursuit is shown to have positive impact on society. The New York Times reports multiple studies have concluded that in the regions where immigrants have settled in the past two decades, crime has gone down, cities have grown, poor urban neighborhoods have been rebuilt, and small towns that were struggling are starting to grow (New York Times). Studies have shown that gateway cities with increased immigration have seen a reduction in crime and measurable economic improvement (Annuls). The immigrants are finding jobs, working hard, and spending the money they earn, and all of these activities are good for the economy. This is clearly evidence that immigration has been good for the society most directly impacted and these studies suggest immigration is providing stimulus to the United

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