Hollywood on Immigration: We're All in it Together

The recently-released trailer for the upcoming film Crossing Over illustrates the power of values-based messaging. By framing the issue through the lens of human rights, common values and dreams, and basic American principles, the film shows a side of the immigration debate eclipsed in the often noisy and mean-spirited debate we see in the media and online.  The film posits that despite the challenges facing our current immigration system, and how it can divide us into opposing camps- by ideology, nationality, and sometimes race - we are still more alike than different.  Of course, Hollywood thrives on seemingly simplistic messages like this.  But that's exactly why we, as immigration advocates, have a lot to learn about how the industry's master storytellers can boil legal and administrative intricacies down to simple values.