Documentary Highlights Southern Border Challenges
On Tuesday, September 28, Arc Aspicio attended a Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) and Women in Homeland Security event to celebrate the release of the Center’s Hidden Cameras on the Arizona Border 3: A Day in the Life of a Drug Smuggler mini-documentary. Janice Kephart, Director of National Security Policy Studies at CIS, produced the 12-minute documentary that focuses on drug cartel methods and activities throughout Arizona’s federally-owned land. Ms. Kephart obtained much of the footage for the film by traveling with her hidden camera guide into three drug-running corridors in central Arizona in mid-June 2010. It highlighted covert smuggling activities as far north as the I-80 corridor.
The film has several objectives: to reveal travel methods of Mexican drug cartels into U.S. land, to elevate dialogue on the definition of ‘secure border, ‘ to expose the truth about what is happening on the ground along the Arizona-Mexico border, and to highlight the dangers that federal and local agents face in securing the border. As the current immigration debate intensifies, painting an accurate picture of the challenges and dangers along the Southwest border is increasingly important. The film will contribute to the ongoing national conversation on how to address the challenges on our borders.
The Hidden Cameras film is the third in a web-based documentary series. All three films contain footage obtained within the past year. To view the series, please visit the Center for Immigration Studies at www.cis.org. Also, to join Women in Homeland Security, a professional development organization, visit www.womeninhomelandsecurity.com.
