Back in March of 2021, i headed down to the border wall to see what all the fuss was about. The country had recently switched hands from trump to biden and with that came a lot of changes in how the immigration policy of the united states was administered. I juggled my time at the border between a busy workshop and photography client schedule.

As the situation and the noise regarding the border wall contiunued to draw more and more attention I found myself heading down to document the area more and more. in 2022 and 2023 I cut my workshop and client business by more than 70% to be able to dedicate time to filming, shooting, editing, and traveling to all the areas affected by our immigration system.

This lead to me traveling dozens of times down to the border in the 4 states that share a wall with mexico. California, Arizona, New Mexico and Tecas. I traveled to every mile of the border wall that is accessible on the U.S. Side of the wall. On another trip I then decided to do the same thing on the mexican side of the wall as well so i could see things from the migrant perspective.

in december of 2022 I did something that I never thought I’d do in my life by choosing to submit myself to be trafficked by the cartels and coyotes on the migrant route that went from ecuador all the way to the united states. This path included traveling through panama, costa rica, nicaragua, honduras, guatemala, and mexico. This was a very harrowing undertaking that was not only enlightening but also very scary, dangerous, defeating and infuriating.

i traveled with the coyotes and cartels. i had gear stolen. I had my life threatened. i ran through the jungles at night being chased by men with machetes and machine guns. i was deported from honduras back to nicaragua, and i had to pay significant fines to have the nicaraguan immigration officers allow me to continue on my way. i’ve been arrested in mexico and again forced to pay fines or risk long term detention.

from this experience I gained a deep contempt for the fact that it appears the biggest benefactor of the immigration policy in the united states is currently the cartels that traffic the migrants.

in addition to the countries i traveled through on the migrant route, I’ve also visited colombia and peru as they are also integral for the flow of migration to the united states. i’ve documented the poverty and the beauty that exists in all of the above mentioned south american countries to show what life is truly like in those parts of the world.

I’ve spent many nights on the rio grande river in texas documenting the migrants coming over on rafts. I’ve documented migrants flowing over the open areas of the border wall. i’ve documented how coyotes will help small amounts of people scale the border wall. i’ve spoken to the migrants who turn themselves into border patrol and i’ve also spoken to the migrants who are evading capture and processing as they seek to stay outside of the system.

I’ve documented the processes, demeanor and activities of border patrol agents as they are in the course of doing their jobs. and I’ve also visited the property owners who live along the border wall in the united states to understand how this issue affects them on a daily basis much more than it affects the rest of us who live further away from the wall.

i’ve tried everything in my power to show the human side of this issue, rather than the republican vs. democrat take that we get out of washington, dc. i don’t expect the 10% of the ultra right or the ultra left will listen to what i have to say or show because they don’t want their minds changed. they just want to sell their narrative.

this documentary is for the sane people of our nation. the ones who have a heart but also want there to be some level of control and order so we know what’s going on. it’s for the people who would gladly help someone in need while at the same time understanding who is coming into their home before opening the front door and allowing anyone to come in.

this is for the 80% of you out there who actually want things to get better vs. burying your head in the sand and believing you’re right no matter what. it’s for those people who are open to having their minds changed if they see facts and truth. it’s for people like you.

And i’ve done all of this with my own time and money.

as we near another presidential election in 2024, this topic has become the most divisive and important issue to the majority of americans as it is now impacting red and blue states and voters alike. I’m doing everything in my power to get this information out there. if you feel like you can help out with a donation so i can dedicate even more time to this project, it would be more appreciated than you know.

thank you in advance for any help you can provide. and if you’d like to personally get involved or have a story to tell me regarding the border and immigration system, please visit the contact page and get in touch with me today.

sincerely,

Jason lanier