The Infiltrators

Marco and Viri are young DREAMERS and members of the National Immigrant Youth Alliance. The Alliance’s mission is to go undercover and get into the infamous Broward County, Florida, detention center to help its detainees to seek legal release in “The Infiltrators.”

Laura's Review: B

Robin's Review: B

Directors/writers Cristina Ibarra and Alex Rivera take on the American immigration detention system that, under President Obama (yes, Obama, not Trump) instituted a harsh policy of detention and deportation for undocumented immigrants. The NIYA devised a risky program to infiltrate the detention system and, from within, work with the inmates to get their release. It is that or certain deportation.

Ibarra and Rivera combine the real with the re-created to tell the story of how these brave young people risked deportation themselves to get the necessary documentation on inmates out to the public. The real part utilizes talking head interviews with the actual people involved as well as insight into the workings of the NIYA.

The re-creation part of “The Infiltrators” comes in to play with the dramatization of Marco (Maynor Alvarado) and Viri’s (Chelsea Rendon) getting themselves into the Broward detention facility and making contact with those inmates in imminent danger of being deported. They then have to get signed permission forms from the inmates that could secure their release and spirit them out to the NIYA. Keep in mind, these young dreamers risked their own deportation all the while they were help in Broward.

There is a great deal of heart and spirit in “The Infiltrators” and that dedication comes across perfectly in this amalgam of methods to tell these young people’s story and showcase their bravery. But, remember, this story took place BEFORE Donald Trump put the infiltration crisis on steroids and made it worse.

"The Infiltrators" will play at the virtual theaters listed here beginning 5/1/2020.