EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Netflix's "Immigration Nation" takes a unique look into the hot-button issue of U.S. immigration, getting unprecedented access with the Immigration & Customs Enforcement Agency.
Filmmakers Shaul Schwarz and Christina Clusiau give an unfiltered look at the process and the pain associated with immigration in America during the Trump administration.
"It's an immigration show in a way that hasn't been seen before," said Schwarz. "It's real and it's unflinching."
Both believe the system has been broken for years, well before the Trump administration put in their zero-tolerance policies. Their goal was not to take one side or another, instead to give an unbiased portrait of a county in crisis and open a dialogue.
"There isn't any winners. Everybody, in a sense, loses because the system's broken. It was one of the only things that people could agree on," said Schwarz. "This is a price we're paying by not being able to have a better communication about this subject."
Here's five things you need to know about the new documentary series:
- It took three years for Schwarz and Clusiau to film the six-part series, but were determined to see it through, saying, "when Trump was elected, we felt there was such a shift in policy around immigration and we had this unique access around ICE, so we wanted to show this comprehensive look at the immigration system from inside the system."
- The filmmakers have been faced with legal threats and ICE sought to delay the release until after Novemeber's election.
- Schwarz and Clusiau wanted the show to be fair to both sides, saying, "we did not choose to soften the show, we want people to walk away angered to some degree and I hope their action will not be 'boo this' or towards ICE, but I think their anger should be propelled towards changing so the human toll will be lessened."
- It was difficult for the directing pair to not have their on feelings about the issue, saying, "when you enforce something that is intended to create fear, you have to look at the fall out and the consequences, and you have to ask why is that the policy."
- The filmmakers are next shooting a documentary about the most dangerous sport in the world, wingsuit flying.
"Immigration Nation" is now streaming on Netflix.