"I'm doing a walk... around Texas... of 3,200 miles... uh, for the sesquicentennial, uh, celebration... of 150th birthday ofTexas." "And why are you doing it?" "And why Texas?" "Uh, this is my home now... and, uh, because I like it." "[Man Narrating] Vasily Bolos escaped from Romania a few years ago..." "[Man] A lot of poor people in this country." "It shouldn't be." "In this rich country, we shouldn't have poor people." "And some people think that, uh, immigrants are taking their jobs." "Uh, what's probably helping immigrants take their jobs... is 'cause they're anxious to work..." "Yeah, I think we come with a lot of dreams... and we work as hard as we can to achieve it." "[Narrator] My name is Louis Malle." "I didn't walk, like Vasily Bolos... but for three months I rambled around this country... filming some of the millions who have come to America recently... to fulfill their dreams..." "[Malle Narrating] January 1986, Kennedy Airport." "These Cambodian refugees are survivors... of the worst genocide our planet has known since World War II." "They come from camps in Thailand where thousand of their compatriots... are waiting for a future." "[Man] Take this, go to the inspector." "Can I see your travel documents?" "No?" "Okay." "Thank you." "How 'bout- Can I see this one here?" "[Woman Giggling]" " Ooh." "Got some food here." " [Man] Just rice." "[Malle Narrating] A little cultural difference here." " She's got a" " She's got more " " For the U.S. Customs, it is microbes." "This is the, uh, stuff from the plane." "What country are they coming from now?" "Uh" " They are from Cambodia." "Yeah, I know, but what country are they coming from now?" "[Speaking Foreign Language]" " Chon Buri." " Chon Buri in Thailand." "Thailand." "By way of France?" "Are they coming from Raris?" "[Speaking Foreign Language]" " They don't know." "They don't know." " [Woman Laughing]" "They're off the D8-41." "Where's that from?" " 8- 41." "That was from Italy." " Yeah, they're coming from Rome." "All right." " All right." "They're all set." "Thank you." " Thank you." "[Customs Officer] Bye-bye." "[Baby Crying]" "[Malle Narrating] It's very cold today." "Outside the gates, friends welcome them." "As soon as possible, they must find a job, make money... first of all, learn the language." "[Woman] You must be short of money... if you only work three days a week." "[Group Repeating] You must be short of money... if you only work three days a week." "[Woman] Let's go to Wendy's and have a hamburger." "Let's go to Wendy's and have a hamburger." " Sorry." " Sorry." "Good." "I'll treat you this time." "I'll treat you this time." "Next month, you can treat me." "You can treat me." "This time I pay." "Next time you pay." "That's all it means." "It's really very simple." "Wendy?" "Where you buy the hamburgers." "You can go to McDonald's or Burger King." " [Man Talking, Indistinct]" " Anywhere." "You must be short of money... if you only "weeks" three days a week." "Let's go to..." "Wendy's... and have a hamburger." "Sorry." "I'm out of money." "[Malle Narrating] Before driving a cab in Dallas, Texas..." "Admen Malaq was a freedom fighter... in the mountains of Kurdistan." "Well, all the drivers, uh - and, uh, got the idea of having our own company... and more of, uh, you know - it's like working for yourself instead of working for somebody else." "Now that, uh, we all got together at meetings... and finally we got the company" "[Malle Narrating] Drivers from Africa and the Middle East... have joined forces to start their own business - the American way." " [Rhone Rings] - [Woman] Good afternoon." "Liberty Taxi." "2300 block?" "What's the address?" " [Man On Radio, Indistinct]" " Okay." "Thank you for calling." " [Phone Rings]" " Okay, number eight." "I need you to copy the 3000 block of Mockingbird." "[Phone Rings]" "[Malle Narrating] They're not even in the phone book yet." "They operate from a couple of rooms, but like all immigrants... they have great expectations and the determination to succeed." "Your balance is $65." "Well, my name is Gideon Odjari... and I come from Ghana, West Africa, originally." "When I got down here to Texas, I started driving taxi on a part-time basis." "[Malle Narrating] Gideon is the president of Liberty Cab." "He has a business degree from the University of Michigan." "And that was how I was able to, you know, fight them in competition." " And top light." " Top light." "I have a top light for sale." "That is $35." " And, um " " Is it complete or" "A complete one is $38." "Okay." "I agree with 38." "Everybody owns one share in the company... and entitled to the profits of the company." "Each driver is entitled to one vote." "[Gideon] It's going to take at least two more weeks." " [Man] I need to order a new one, man." " I know." "It's gonna be two more " "You know, we have a lot of people that wants to be part of this company." "But, uh, we hope that the number will go up to about 400... within the next three, four months." "I'm from Ethiopia." "[Malle] Do you like it here?" "Yeah, it's all right." "It's okay." "Yeah, I miss my country." "It was, for me, very, very peculiar, very strange." "Everything money." "Money, money, money, money." "From morning to evening, everybody talking about money..." "Okay." "Now, when I clap my hands " "[Malle Narrating] Boris Leskin was one of the best-known stage actors... in the Soviet Union." "[Leskin] Talk to yourself." "Talk." "I didn't speak English at all." "Of course, it was very difficult time... now is beginning my second life." "Not another, but second life." "And one, and two..." "[Malle Narrating] Working in a foreign language is tough for an actor." "And there are not too many jobs in Hollywood sitcoms... for a 60-year-old Russian genius with an accent." "Satisfaction?" "[Leskin] Of course I miss my friends who worked with me 20 years... in the same company... in the best theater in the world, I think." "And four." "In Russia I was enough famous, rich." "I have a car." "It's a big privilege in the Soviet Union." "I desperately need glass of water." "Very thirsty." "[Malle Narrating] Boris has no regrets." "He devotes his energy to teaching young American actors... the real Stanislavski." "Unroll your body." "Unfold your shoulder." "Tremendous, huge " "[Leskin] Unfortunately, in the United States " "It's my opinion, of course." "Somebody use Stanislavski's method not very clear." "They use only one part of his method." "Gentlemen, this lady." "Everybody remember how to do?" "Charity, please." "Left hand down." "Okay?" "And projection through your body, but you feel it." "And I full of desire, full of crave." "I want something." "I want to be in a movie." "I want to be involved." "[Malle Narrating] I know exactly what Boris is talking about." "There's something irresistible about coming to America and starting all over again." "Nobody thinking about me." "But now it's everything up to me." "For revenge." "For revenge lady beat him." "Okay?" "Project." "What's the reason you beat him?" "[Malle Narrating] Rublic School 89 in Queens, New York." " [Bell Rings] - [Woman] What is the Stamp Act?" "What is that, Hi Mon Shu?" "Whatever they do, they have to have a stamp." "And to whom do they pay the money?" "[Malle Narrating] Children of 17 different nationalities... are taught American history by a teacher born in the Rhilippines." "What did you call United States at that time?" "It wasn't a free country then." "What was it?" "Michael?" "[Malle Narrating] They used to call it the melting pot." "Sometimes it seems like the Tower of Babel." "[Cheering]" "[Speaking French]" "[Malle Narrating] Thomas Jefferson was the first one to worry." ""Immigrants,"he said, "would turn this country..." ""into a heterogeneous... incoherent, distracted mass. "" "Lfhe'd been with us all these months... he could certainly have wondered..." ""What happened to those white, Anglo-Saxon Rrotestants... who came off the Mayflower?"" "[Shouts Greeting]" "Let's go." "Right spot!" "Stallone is over here!" "[Speaking Italian]" " God bless America and viva I'Italia." " God bless America." "[Malle] Where do you come from exactly?" "What's the difference?" "I'm here now." " Green." " Ah!" "[Malle Narrating] Sophia Eduarte came from Cuba in 1980... with the Mariel boat people." "First she had to get her high school equivalency." "She follows a two-year program to become a computer analyst." "[Speaking Spanish]" "So, whenever you're gonna do any mathematical computations..." "No, no." "Because you need something in between to" "[Malle Narrating] Sophia married another Cuban immigrant." "They live in Little Havana, the Cuban section of Miami." " Hello." "How are you doing?" " [Malle] Very good." " This is your house." " Yes." " You told me you had a dog." " Yes." "Wait." "[Malle Narrating] She was not allowed to bring her daughter from Cuba." " [Sophia] Hellol" " But she went to great trouble to fly her dog." "Give me your paw." "The other." "The other paw." "The other paw." "Good boy." "He speaks English." " [Whining]" " He's 15 years old." " You think he likes America?" " He loves it." "He loves the food." "But he hates the mailman." "He hates the people of the garbage." " When they come, he doesn't like it." " [Growling]" "He's a refugee." "But when his mother becomes a U.S. Citizen... then he will be a citizen too." "He travel in plane..." "I didn't." "I came in a boat." "Was my dream to come to United States." "The life in Cuba was so poor." "Was people with no ambitions... no - no nothing." "Life in the United States, working and studying - you can have whatever you want." "[Malle] How long have you been in this house?" "Uh, for three years." " And it's your house." " Oh, yes." "Thanks God." "Was it difficult for you to buy it?" "Yes." "Well, difficult?" "Not difficult, but, uh, hard... because we have to save a lot of money... and make a lot of sacrifices, you know - not going anywhere, just saving the money." "Do you ever miss Cuba?" "Never." "Never." "And I think I'll never be back." "[Malle Narrating] Sophia doesn't have to go back." "Miami is Cuba." "Hey!" "[Man] The world's tallest Cuban right here." "We're number one." "Cubans are number one." "We're really the best of all the minorities." "We're thankful to be here in the United States, but most importantly..." "United States should be thankful of all the Cubans in Miami." "[Man Speaking Spanish]" "[Malle Narrating] The Cubans in Miami have good reasons to celebrate." "In two decades, they have made a sleepy resort... into one of the fastest-growing cities in America." "Miami is 65% Hispanic." "English is the second language here." "[Malle Narrating] Little Saigon, Santa Ana, California." "256, 10-97 and "A."" "Minh Engleson is the first American police officer of Vietnamese descent." "[Speaking Vietnamese]" "[Malle Narrating] Almost 100,000 Vietnamese... have resettled in Orange County... and most of them do well." "Vietnamese take their food seriously." "They shop in their own supermarkets... where the produce is fresher and cheaper." "Crab." "In 1871, the riot in Los Angeles... ended with the lynching of 19 Chinese." ""The Yellow Reril,"they called it." "After years of violence, the Oriental Exclusion Act... shut off Asian immigration for decades." "Times have changed." "Newcomer High School in San Francisco." "They come from 34 different countries speaking 22 different languages and dialects." "Very motivated, I would say." "In my experience here in the past five years, I've found that many youngsters... are very success-oriented." "They realize that they have to work hard, study hard." "They have to overcome a lot of barriers - of course, discrimination and prejudice - but I think they have the right attitude to succeed in America." "[Woman Speaking Chinese] Seventy-two." "One of the factors will be- [Chinese]" "[Malle Narrating] In this classroom, young immigrants from mainland China... are learning mathematics and English at the same time." "They are among 45,000 Chinese who came to the U.S. Last year." "Ten to the power of three, plus five times 10 to the power of two... six times 10 to the power of one, and seven - four times one." "[Speaks Chinese] Eight times 10 to the power of five." "[Chinese] What time is it?" "[Chinese]" "You see times, okay?" "Next page." "Let's go." "[Malle] How long have you been in America?" "About four years." " Did you speak English before?" " No, not at all." "I just knew, you know, alphabets, you know, when I came here." "I learned a little bit when I was in Korea... um, in junior high... but it was, like - like, you know, in kindergarten in this country." "School is about seven, eight hours." "When I get home I study at least, you know, four hours a day." "So about 13 hours maybe?" "[Malle] And you also help your parents in the store, right?" "[Man] Yeah." "I work on Sunday with my brothers..." " Thank you." " I want to get into the medicine as my career." "[Malle Narrating] Jun-Yun Kim's grades are so good..." "I most like Columbia... but I'm thinking of, you know, little better ones... like maybe Princeton or something like that." "Either Stanford or Caltech... because, uh, I have pretty much a high S.A.T. Score." "[Malle Narrating] Nick Ha and his family escaped from Vietnam on a boat..." "His painting hangs in the Capitol." "[Ha] My teacher told me of a contest... which would give me some monetary award..." "So I just did a painting which, to my surprise, I won." "I would like to be an aerospace engineer... and, um, use art as an escape... from all that technical side of life and so on." ""There once was a boy named B.J. Who had much plaque and decay." "Now he has no more teeth to decay."" "[Woman] And that was the winning limerick." "Okay." "[Malle Narrating] BJ." "Singh Bindra is a Sikh from India." "[Malle] So I understand you're a good student, huh?" " I guess so." " Yes, he's a very good student." "He had a wonderful report card." "[Man] If you ever wanted to go further out... and go look for intelligent life somewhere in some other planet... you're not gonna tell 'em that you come from Russia or you come from the United States... or that you come from Costa Rica." "Because otherwise they won't understand what you're saying." "And so you begin to realize that you're not a citizen... necessarily of one given country... but you are really a citizen of the world." "[Malle Narrating] Franklin Chang-Díaz is the first NASA astronaut..." "He was a crew member on the last shuttle mission... before the accident." "[Chang-Díaz] The way I felt when I first got into orbit... was just undescribable, just totally new." "[Chang-Díaz] I was a little bit concerned..." "But just as I unstrapped out of my seat..." "The entire six days that we were up in orbit..." "I just-I enjoyed every minute of it." "First of all, I'm an American citizen and proud to be one." "Or at least everybody's family, in this country, comes from somewhere else." "And I'm not any exception." "I have strong roots, uh, in Costa Rica and in South America." "And some - uh, some roots, uh, are still in China." "My paternal grandfather was an immigrant... to Costa Rica from China." "Sometime about 1905, 1910, thereabouts." "But Chang-Díaz trains every day for up-and-coming missions." "This afternoon he practices with this giant arm... which moves payloads in space... a precise and fastidious task." "[Chang-Díaz] I was one of those very fortunate little kids..." "I used to have my own simulator, my own trainer in my backyard... which was, uh, nothing but a cardboard box..." "And I would sit in there with my friends and my cousins... and we would practice simulated ascents." "And we'd even go through a simulated countdown and everything." "[Malle Narrating] A gifted schoolboy in Costa Rica... he came to the U.S. At 17... and, through scholarships and hard work... made his way to a Rh.D." "I became a U.S. Citizen in, uh, 1977... shortly after I graduated from M.I.T." "And to me, it was a great honor to be a U.S. Citizen... because, in fact, this country has given me everything that I have." "When I came here, I didn't really have anything." "I didn't have the language." "I didn't have any money." "Didn't have any education." "And everything that I have now, I owe it to this society here." "To me, it is really nice to think... that perhaps I will be flying many times up into space again." "And I look forward to someday perhaps also work and live... for an extended period of time in a space station." " [Malle Narrating] This is not out in space." "Cold weather in Nebraska." "I get used to that now." "[Malle] But you were born in Saigon, weren't you?" "Yes." "We never see snow before." "[Malle Narrating] He's the only Vietnamese around." "In Bridgeport they call him Dr. Diem." "Because of the degeneration in her- of her tumor." " Oh, please give me the copy of this." " Okay." "I will." "Then you can call it down." "Can you sit up now, Nick?" "Okay." "Does it hurt you in your ear?" " Sometimes." " In both ears or left?" "Let's look at the good ear first, okay, Nick?" "The left ear look good." "I still see a tube." " Mm-hmm." " He has a tube in his ear." " Yeah." " How long ago?" " It'll be two years in June." " Mm-hmm." "I'm going to look at the right ear, okay?" "It won't hurt you, okay?" "[Malle] Was it a surprise at the beginning when he first came?" "Well, I'd never worked with a Vietnamese doctor before... and it took an adjustment - learning to understand him, for one thing." "[Malle] Do you think he's going to stay here?" "Oh, yes." "We hope so." "Okay." "Did you sleep well last night?" "I had sleeping pill." "I sleep like a pig." "Good." "[Malle Narrating] Rete Lapasoris is 93 years old." "Many farmers around here came from Greece." "[Diem] How do you say "hi"in Greek?" " [Speaks Greek] - [Repeats Word]" " [Malle] You came through Ellis Island, right?" " How's that?" "You came through Ellis Island." " You came through New York." " Yeah." "It's the only place you could get in." "When you come to Nebraska, nothing in Nebraska then." "Cow roads." "I come 1907, 14 year old." "I worked like a slave for a dollar a day all my life." "I don't do nothing now." "I stay in the hospital." "Keep Diem busy." "[Malle] Are you a satisfied patient?" "You bet." "I joke him." "We play cards with him." "We eat together." "We get along fine." "I never dreamed to be a pioneer." "I don't think so." "[Malle Narrating] Seven years ago, Diem came to Omaha... on a special program for Vietnamese physicians." "Uh, the Bridgeport Hospital here, they, uh... give me a loan." "[Malle Narrating] Most of them left for gentler climates..." "He wanted to repay his debt." "I think that is a way I return something to the people around here." "[Malle Narrating] Family lunch at the Oasis, the restaurant in town." "Diem seems completely accepted by the community." "In fact, we are the only ones who find his presence here surprising." " [Diem] Oh." "Okay." " She got her cast cut off at the same time." " See you guys." " Okay." "They said, "How do you get young nurses to come to a small town?"" "I said, "I have no idea, 'cause I won't come here."" "And I did." "And we met at the hospital." "[Malle Narrating] Diem's wife,Janet, was a nurse at the hospital." " She's from Illinois." " Always said I'd never marry a doctor." "[Man] Do you miss surgery at all?" "[Malle Narrating] Diem was a surgeon in the South Vietnamese army." "The surgery I did before is kind of like M* A *S*H." "You watch M* A *S*H?" "[Malle Narrating] Diem is doing well." " He has his own clinic and plays the stock market." " Hi." "Go to the car, honey." " [Lowing]" " Look at the cow." "What does the cow say?" " Moo." " [Cow Lowing]" "Did you" " Did you sell some cow lately?" "No." "We make nothing, Diem." "We just work all year for nothing." "When is your dad supposed to " "[Malle Narrating] The climate is tough, the economy is depressed." "Will Diem stay here forever?" "He says yes." " You mean the coldest during the wintertime?" " Yeah." "Twenty, 30 below." "I watch TV." "From Diem, mostly, I think." "And his brother." "His brother's a better cook than he is." "[Malle Narrating] The Diems invite us to dinner." "Janet sort of cooks Vietnamese." "This is pretty easy." "[Chuckling]" "Diem's parents are still in Saigon." "One my brother, he will come here very soon." "He's, uh, in Malaysia right now." "[Malle Narrating] Two ofhis brothers are already in the U.S." "I think he escaped South Vietnam... uh, sometime November 1985, I think so." "[Malle] Was it a problem for you in the beginning- language?" "No." "Yeah." "I was working, and a Greek lady came in." "And she didn't speak English very well at all." "And I couldn't understand either of'em - the doctor or the patient." "Many time they tell me a joke..." "So I usually ask them what does it mean, you know." "Ajoke especially." "Ajoke in Nebraska." "But otherwise, I think he's done real well." "I understand him now almost-almost all the time." "Downtown Houston, Allen Rarkway Village... is a federal development going back to the '30s... and traditionally reserved for blacks." "Now half of the residents are Indo-Chinese." "[Child Shouts]" "They're driving us out." "We don't have nowhere to stay." "Um, the Vietnamese, at one point, was taking over." "They could afford to come up with the money we couldn't." "Simple as that." "Our kids and our families was being thrown out because of this." "And even today, the two communities don't mix." "Black kids play on one side of the basketball court..." "Vietnamese on the other." "[Whistles]" "Well, initially there was some tension because you had two groups of people... from two different worlds - that was a culture shock." "[Malle Narrating] Lenwood Johnson is head of the residents council." "Uh, they dry their fish out in the sun." "Um, blacks didn't like the odor coming from the fish." "So there was a conflict there." "[Woman] They had gardens." "We wasn't allowed to have gardens, you know?" "They're drivin'fine cars, and we can't even buy a used car." "We walk everywhere or we got to go catch the metro." "[Johnson] There's a cultural difference in here." "Americans can say something in one way, it's offensive to Asian people." "They can say things another way that we don't quite understand." "It has a different connotation." "There was a whole lot of hostility." "There was a lot of, uh, fighting and - among the residents and the Vietnamese... because they pretty much did what they wanted to." "It seems to be that the city... was conspiring to demolish this place... and they wanted a group of people in here... who did not have the political clout to stop a demolition." "They wanted to redevelop this area into luxury housing." "My house is about to cave down on me." "Cabinets falling down." "Brick caving' in." "[Malle Narrating] This land has enormous real estate value... and many believe that bringing in the Vietnamese... is part of a conspiracy." "[Johnson] The Vietnamese do not know their rights or laws... and they can come by and tell them..." ""If you don't get out in two hours, I'm gonna have the police put you in prison. "" "A lot of times the Vietnamese do not know any better." "They get out right then and there." "What they can carry on their backs." "They get scared, and they leave." "The next thing you know, the house is empty." "[Malle Narrating] Thirty percent of the units are now without occupants." "Well, I think that they're trying to push us out of here." "[Malle] Are they succeeding?" "Well, not all of us." "[Malle Narrating] Outside pressure has forced residents to unite." "[Johnson] It's a little difficult, with approximately five different languages... to hold a meeting, but starting in '83... through the resident council, we started people working together... instead of fighting each other." "As long as it's here, and long as somebody's here..." "I'll be one of'em." "[Malle Narrating] Reople learn to live together... but as American blacks know too well... prejudices have a long life." "[Man Speaking Arabic Language]" "[All Murmuring]" "[Arabic Language Continues]" "[Malle Narrating] Arab Americans have problems of their own." "They're not easily accepted in this country." "[Man Speaks Arabic Language]" " Egypt." " [Malle] Egypt?" " Mm-hmm." " Do you like it here?" "Yeah." " Would you like to go back to Egypt?" " No." " [Girls Laughing]" " It stinks!" "There are some parts that have bad sewage areas." " You like it better in Orange County, right?" " Yeah." "What are you going to do when you grow up?" "I don't know." "Go back to Egypt." "Go to the college." "[Chattering]" "[Malle Narrating] They often do very well as doctors, scientists, teachers, engineers." "But they're self-conscious about their image." "The assumption, if you're an Arab... is that you, uh, were born in a tent... that you rode camels as a young man, that you're dirty, that you're ignorant." "[Malle Narrating] TheJadats are successful graphics designers in Washington, D. C... yet they feel prejudice." "It makes us a bit nervous that things that happened over there... that have really nothing to do with us as individuals here... uh, affect the way that Americans perceive Arabs... and Americans, in general, perceive Arabs... in a very stereotyped way." "My parents are both Palestinian... and they came to Lebanon in '48... when a lot of Palestinians left and went to Lebanon." "The amount of terrorism that's going on in that part of the world now... and all the media attention to it... just brings home to Americans... the false illusion that all Arabs are terrorists." "I wish we could lead our lives like everybody else does... but I think, uh, fate has it... that we are who we are... and in this point in history, things are bad." "We try to blend in, as I'm sure most American immigrants have done... over the years - try to become a part of American society... and in a way deny their roots." "[Prayer Chant]" "[Malle Narrating] Itzhiam Hassan does not deny his roots." "He comes to pray every day in this mosque in Richardson, Texas." "Although a U.S. Citizen, he has mixed feelings... about his new country." "Well, for some thing it's better, and for some thing home is always home." "[Malle] What is it that you don't like here?" "The freedom without direction." "And?" "All the morality of the world." "[Malle] Better is job and money." "This brand-new million-dollar mosque... of which Amina Ismael is the treasurer." "Yes, I am." "[Malle Narrating] Here's someone who's happy to be in America." "For a woman coming from a traditional culture" " Pakistan." " the freedom of choices must be thrilling." "Ten years." "[Chuckling]" " What do you do for a living?" " Oh, I'm a beautician." " A what?" " Beautician." " Which means what?" " I just do hairstyling and beauty work." "It's just against of my- I mean, voluntary work here." "Where do you do that?" "Do you have a store" "I work with a company." "I work with Elizabeth Arden." "And, uh, where did you start that?" "In Rakistan?" "No, I started here." "I was a schoolteacher in Pakistan." " And a beautician in America." " Right." "America is so beautiful, it attracted me to go into that line." "[Laughing]" "Is that the process of becoming American is continual... and it's a process much more revolutionary..." "Because it is not the evolution of the state, but the evolution of the individual... that is emphasized in that concept." "[Malle Narrating] Derek Walcott is a poet and playwright... from St. Lucia in the West Indies." "The idea of making every taste the same... uh, can lead to a kind of dictatorship... of mediocrity, of poor taste." "And if you find yourself in that ambience... um, without fighting... um, in my writing - especially if you're doing performance writing - saying, "Well, you can't say that because, I mean, that's a little complicated."" "But in terms of a concept of something, what will go down... it happens to every person who comes here." "Whether it is in the person's conduct... clothes, you know, style... it is a threat." "Democracy- an aggressive democracy" "It says, "Be equal," right?" ""You've gotta be equal," right?" "And that's a responsibility." "You have to be as equal as the next guy." "You know, well, I don't always want to be equal." "I want to feel superior or inferior sometimes." "My choice, you know." "[Malle Narrating] Certainly American mass culture is a powerful equalizer." "Unlike Derek Walcott, most immigrants embrace its values with enthusiasm." "It's much better than what I used to know." "[Malle Narrating] Meserite Gazan is Ethiopian." "On a top security missiles program for the Defense Department." " [Malle] This is your house, right?" " Yeah, it is." " And you're fixing it?" " Yeah, I'm fixing it." "I bought an old house, and - from a medieval culture to advanced electronics." "How did he manage?" "I, uh, first started on washing dishes... in a restaurant in New York... and then went to yellow cab." "Then I work in financial fields." "And now I'm working in electronics." "[Malle] Tell me." "How did Texas Instruments find you?" "They came and recruited me from a technical school." "I was attending technical school." "I mean, they had people constantly coming from different companies." "Because you had special skills or" "No." "I think I was doing good at that time." "I mean, uh" "And, uh, they went and talked to the headmaster of the school and, uh..." "I think he recommended me very well." "I try to keep up with it." "I go to school, attend seminars and " "I think my hunger- I mean, my, uh..." "When he's playing a game." "[Chuckles]" "We are not getting along on that point." "He should learn something at least." "Fire." "All right." "[Malle Narrating] Meserite's wife, Sonja, is from Jamaica." "They spend many evenings in this Ethiopian restaurant in downtown Dallas." "This is split pea." "This one is lentil." "Carrot and potato." "Of course, this one is deep-fried beef." "[Malle Narrating] Ali Moutimizgin, the owner of the restaurant... is proud ofhis heritage." " Jamie, don't expect any from me." " [Laughs]" "[Ali] No matter how much I like America, I always wish to go back to my home." "You always miss something - your culture, the way you were brought up - no matter what." " [Gazan] Nowhere is like home." " [Ali] Yes." "Things are different." "Especially on holidays." "You have nowhere to go." "You go to the restaurant and come back home." "That's it." "And everybody comes out and " "Just you have a blast." "[Malle Narrating] But Meserite doesn't care to live in the past." "[Gazan] When I came here, I decided just to forget." "I said, "Hey, this is where I'm gonna stay... so I have to do it the way people do it here."" "For me just to catch up and adapt into the system..." "It's not a question of rejected." "It's, uh, a question of saying..." ""Hey." "That's what I left, and I shouldn't bring it here." "It has to stay back there."" "For me, it is a parental responsibility... to teach him to be more productive... and well-fitted into the system." "Yes, I'll tell him where I - where I came from... and, uh, what the culture looked like..." "[Malle Narrating] In a suburb of Houston... newly converted Hispanic-Americans..." "[Speaking Spanish]" "[Malle Narrating] Jorge Alvarado preaches with the fiery eloquence of a TVevangelist." "A few years ago, he was a Catholic." "[Spanish]" "[Spanish]" "[Malle Narrating] Assimilation takes strange detours sometimes." "[Spanish]" "[Alvarado] O heavenly Father... we need your power." "We need your power." "[Spanish]" "[Malle Narrating] Kim Ratamaruang, a high school student... teaches Laotian classical dance in her spare time." "How does she remember?" "When her family escaped from Laos in '75... she was seven years old... the age ofher students." "[Foreign Language]" "[Malle Narrating] Her father, Silak Ratamaruang... also known as Richard... was a brigadier general in the Laotian army." "When I first arrived in this country, I didn't know what to do exactly... because all of my career was in the army, you see." "And finally- [Clears Throat]" "I get into - in the, uh, um " "Colt industry." "Uh, the factory who make the guns, see?" "Because, uh, I was military... so I should be - be very familiar with the gun." "And, uh, I get into this factory... and I make, uh, the M16, M15..." " Not Kim." " At first I wasn't well-adapted to the school... because I didn't know the language... and every time I go to school I start crying." "Now, let's see - About 11" " It's 11 years now." "So, um..." "I sometimes eat Laotian food... but now I'm used to it, so I tend to eat American food more than Laotian food." " [Malle] What kind of food do you like?" " Pizza, hamburgers - [Chuckles]" "Um, anything." "You know, anything that's not smelly, like Laotian food." "Sometimes Laotian food are really smelly type." "[Chuckles]" "When we call" "When, uh, my wife " "[Malle Narrating] The general has a son and two grandchildren in Connecticut." "A little bit, but not very clear and " "So   [Malle] So they're already American." " Yeah." "They-They become American." "[Speaking Vietnamese]" "[Malle Narrating] Every Saturday in Orange County... these Vietnamese children are gathered in a classroom to learn their own language." "[Vietnamese]" "First of all, we want to preserve our cultural heritage." "Secondly, we want to, uh, help... in the relationship between parents and children... because if the children do not understand... why their parents expected of them certain, uh, behavior... they would be frustrated and resent it." "[Malle Narrating] How successful will it be?" "Many of these children were not born in Vietnam." "Among themselves, they speak English- or American, rather." "[Woman] You want to go somewhere with your friend?" "Yeah." "I want to go home." "I enjoy my life." "They always seem to be fighting against their parents and having conflicts at home, and..." "I find life here peaceful kind of." "[Malle Narrating] Here, for Nila Ratel and her family... is a cozy 10-room house in a suburb of San Jose, California." " [Malle] This is the room where you" " Spend most of our time." "No." "Some of it did, some of it not." "Like this copper plaque." "It came from Rhodesia." "[Malle Narrating] The kitchen is American... with a Hindu temple in the barbecue pit." "[Mr. Ratel] This is our temple." "Small temple." "And we worship twice a day." "In the morning, in the evening." "And whenever we get an opportunity to take them to India... we will take them over and show them the country." "[Malle Narrating] Now, about the worldly things." "This was my first hotel." "Yes, sir." "1974 on July 4." "Everything was doing ourselves, you know." "From the maid work, managing, repair, maintenance." "Spending 16 hours a day on it." "Yeah." "Cleaning up, doing the room." "And, uh, rent the room." "Look after everything." "Then take it little bit easy." "Now we take it so easy." "[Malle Narrating] They recently acquired a second motel... among a few other things." "[Mr. Ratel] I own a couple ofhouses -condominium." "We are in process of organizing a bank." "The state has given us a charter." "Well, I'd like to start my own business." "[Malle] Like what?" "Right now I'm going to Archbishop Mitty High School... and in the future I want to go to Stanford University." "I expect him to look after me." "And I'm sure he will look after- the way you mold him, you know... and the way you bring him up - that is what makes a difference." "See, American - the boys will leave when they are 20, 21... and when the parents get old, what they will do?" "They will put them in the old people homes or something like that." "In our culture, the people will stay together, you know... and I'm sure he will look after us, you know, in olden days as well." "[Malle] Would you consider getting married with somebody who is not Indian origin?" "Probably not." "Definitely not." "'Cause I was brought up " "I think I'm more Indian than American." "Put it that way." "What we are trying to do- We are very fortunate that we have two culture... and we can choose the best of it." "You know, certain things are good in Indian." "Certain things are good in American." "And we try to take the best out of both so we can be better off than anybody else." "That is how I look at it." "I think the - the fact that one can be so enormously comfortable, at least... in this country, um, for any reason at all... is part of its mystique." "There's a built-in, almost Old-Testament-ish kind of- of statement in this democracy... that says hard struggle will be rewarded." "And it will not be rewarded spiritually." "It will be rewarded financially." "[Chattering]" "[Malle Narrating] This union shop in New York City is an exception." "All over the country, hundreds of sweatshops employ immigrants... often way under the minimum wage." "Their hard work and low pay keep the American garment industry competitive." "[Man] It is a myth that immigrants built the United States." "When immigration levels were too high... the result was social conflict and the destruction of dreams." "A third of the immigrants of the early part of this century went back." "They didn't fulfill the dream." "Their dreams somehow were destroyed." "There was a time in - when immigration was high... when the living standards for American workers were collapsing... where the industrialists had total power, total say... and could force the workers to put up with any working conditions they wanted... because they could always turn abroad for cheap foreign labor." "[Malle Narrating] In Washington, Roger Conner is director of FAI R:" "Federation for American Immigration Reform." ""... deprived of these immigrants, the economy will collapse."" "The problem is I can't get hired on that construction job... because the employer, uh, knows that he doesn't intend to pay what the prevailing wage is." "[Malle Narrating] In Texas, Hispanic-Americans complain that illegal immigrants from Mexico... are taking more and more of the construction jobs." "...employee of five dollars an hour, for example." "So the contractor knows that as long as he employs an undocumented worker up there... he can cheat him out of his money." "[Conner] We're not going to have unlimited immigration." "The only question is... when are we going to stop it and by what means?" "Are we gonna wait until the American people are so angry... so threatened, so frightened... that they will support putting a military- an armed military-on the border?" "[Malle Narrating] Tijuana, the U.S. Border, 5:00 in the afternoon." "Right now we are at, uh, what we call the soccer field." "It's a place where the United States start... and, uh, most of the people here come from, uh, states in the south and - of Mexico, central Mexico:" "Michoacán,Jalisco, Oaxaca." "Mexico right now is in a very deep crisis - economic crisis." "There are no jobs for every Mexicans." "That's why the people is, uh, trying to get into United States and look for a job... so they can send money to their families and, uh, help them to live day to day." "[Speaking Spanish]" "[Man] He was saying that, uh, he's leaving seven children in his hometown in Jalisco." "Right now, in his place, uh, the daily wages is, uh, 900 pesos." "Around two dollars." "As you can see, it's not enough to make a living for a family." "[Malle Narrating] The border near San Diego is made of rugged canyons... difficult to patrol." "[Man] If we ever pulled out, we'd have all of Mexico in our laps right away." "We'll stay here and keep the finger in the dike and hope that, uh, Congress finally... is able to deal with this problem, uh... in some swift manner, so that we can begin to control it." " Raul, is there any more traffic down there?" " [Malle Narrating] A new immigration bill... has been going back and forth in Congress for the last five years." "[Man On Walkie-talkie] I had three go underneath you." "They're eastbound." "They might be coming out at the other end pretty soon." "There's, uh, three going up there." "They're still going up towards, uh, Monte Vista." "[Malle Narrating] Helicopters patrol the border day and night." "Few immigrants take their chance in daylight." "[Man On Walkie-talkie] Okay, directly below you." "The numbers that we catch, uh-It's prohibitive to try to prosecute everybody that we catch... or to even set them up, uh, for administrative deportation." "Most of them, of course, select voluntary return." "This is one of the buildup areas." "At any one time, uh, maybe upwards of, uh, 600 people... simply awaiting darkness or their appointed time to make their entry." "[Malle Narrating] The night is falling." "On both sides, they get ready." "The border patrol is well-equipped." "All-terrain three-wheelers... and ultrasensitive infrared telescopes." "[Man] 171, scope." " [Man On Walkie-talkie] Go ahead." " Okay, the four in the 200 we're chasing..." "look like they're headed right for the, uh, 227 drop, east end of Christianhaven." "[Man] These vehicles over there- he chased them up to the rim." "[Men Speaking Spanish]" "Let me, uh, put these guys away." "[Chatter On Walkie-talkie]" "Where from where, uh, 21 is at?" "[Man On Walkie-talkie] Okay." "It's gonna be due west of 21." "[Malle Narrating] Many of them are very young." "They will spend the night in a detention center in Chula Vista." "Formalities are reduced to a minimum." " [Man] Okay. ¿Cuántos?" " [Man #2] It's all Mexican money." "5,000." "[Malle Narrating] Ten years ago, one dollar was worth 12 Mexican pesos." "Today it is 700 pesos to a dollar." "[Men Laughing]" "[Indistinct]" "[Malle Narrating] Harold Isel is western commissioner of the Department of Immigration." "Do you have family in Tijuana or children?" "I live in Tijuana." " So you never got a border crossing card, huh?" " Oh, that's very difficult to get." " Very difficult." " All right." " Yeah." "Very difficult." " So it's easier to come illegal than to " "Yeah, it's very easy." "And sometimes I pay, and sometimes I don't pay." " This last time, I don't pay nothing." " You've paid smugglers before?" "And I promise I will try it again." "You've paid smugglers before, have you?" "How much you pay to get across?" "Uh, sometimes I pay..." "To come from where?" "From, uh, Tijuana?" " From Tijuana to San Diego." " San Diego." "How often do you go back and forth?" " How?" " How often?" "How often?" "Well, sometimes I been here for two years, three years." "It depends how I feel." " Nice to meet you." " Hal Isel." " Nice to meet you, guy." " Nice to meet you, Francisco." "No." "Always treat you like, uh - like a human being with respect, right?" "Yes." "Maybe in half an hour." " Well, let's go." "We'll take you down right now." " [Laughs]" "We'll put you on a bus right now." " We'll see how fast you can come back." " Yeah." " Ah, well." "I will try it." " All right." "Francisco, vaya con Dios." "[Spanish] Thank you very much, man." "[Malle Narrating] Francisco is bused back to the border two miles away." "He's routinely checked by a Mexican immigration officer." "[Spanish]" "He will cross again tonight." "This border is a revolving door." "The only way to stop the invasion by illegal aliens into this country..." "And that reform - the cornerstone of that reform has gotta have employer sanctions." "It must become illegal to knowingly hire an illegal alien." "It's illegal to be here, but it's not illegal to work here." "That's the dichotomy that has to be addressed by the United States Congress." "The myth of this whole problem of illegal immigration..." "That's baloney." "It's the same kind of baloney we heard... that we couldn't make it without child labor in the fields." "We made it." "[Spanish]" "Statue of Liberty stands for legal immigration." "She holds a torch in her hand." "To me, that flame represents the spirit of America, the freedom of America." "But in the other hand of Miss Liberty is a book." "Happens to be the Declaration of Independence... but that book represents the laws of this nation." "Now, you can't break our laws and expect our flame to burn forever." "So what if the U.S. Was Mexico?" "To work as gardeners, waiters " "[Malle Narrating] Guillermo Gómez-Reña is a Chicano artist in San Diego." "So what if they were called..." "WASPanos, WASPitos..." " WASPeros or..." "WASP-backs?" " [Woman Chuckles]" "So what if we were the top dogs, huh?" "What if literature was life?" "Meanwhile, illegal aliens pick Florida tomatoes for 40 cents a bucket." "This is the hard way to the American dream." "[Malle Narrating] Apartheid doesn't exist in this country... but in Homestead, Florida, illegal field-workers are segregated from the tourists... in a huge trailer camp owned by the county." "[Spanish]" "[Malle Narrating] Jesús and Juanita Torres make $35 to $40 a day." "Last week, they only worked two days." "Don't you think we would have learned... that you can't import a controlled subclass of people to do your dirty work?" "You'll eventually pay." "And we're paying right now." "In" " In" " In Los Angeles County... 40% to 60% dropout rates among Hispanic-American young people from the schools." "60% to 70% of the Hispanic-American children... are more than a year behind in grade." "The gangs in Los Angeles - They're not gangs of immigrants." "They're gangs of the children of illegal immigrants... who see their upward mobility, their hopes... being destroyed by a never-ending flow of immigrants into the country." "And you now have in California and in Texas a new phenomenon:" "Unemployment among the illegal aliens." "[Malle Narrating] In Los Angeles, a taco stand at the corner of Rico and La Brea." "Reople call it the slave market." "[Man] It's every day." "Many hundred people." "They do everything." "Too many people." "I told you." "Too many people." "Sometimes, uh, one month, he work one day." "Sometimes don't work in one month." "You know, too many people looking for jobs." "[Malle Narrating] Almost every day... who pile up in shacks, trying to hide from immigration agents." "What he does is against the law, and he knows it." "[Spanish]" "[Malle Narrating] This young couple arrived from Oaxaca one month ago." "They look for work." "They can be arrested and expelled at any time." "When, uh, I help build them the shelters over there, which was when the camp was moved... uh, we -we finish building on Sunday... and Monday morning they came at 5:00." "And they arrested everybody." "There were about 18 of them taken over in the morning." "They came again, that time about 2:00 in the morning..." "[Malle Narrating] Roberto Martinez, who himself emigrated from Cuba 37 years ago... was a clergyman and a teacher until he retired last year." "[Martinez] These people" " They seem to- to make such a contribution... in the area, in the community, and nobody seems to care." "And I thought that, uh, I couldn't just sit at home in retirement... if I could just give them, uh, a hand a little bit here or there... and, uh, let them know that somebody cares... that, uh, we want to be their friend, that we appreciate what they do and their being here." "They are the one who provide the labor... to maintain all these fabulous-looking gardens and" "a development for millionaires just down the hill." "[Spanish]" "No, these children have no access to school." "Uh, they have no access to health care... uh, to any of the facilities that we take for granted." " [Martinez Speaking Spanish] - [Spanish]" "[Spanish]" "This woman is wonderful." "She takes in anyone who has no place to stay." "And a few weeks ago, there were about 20 people living here with her." "And she shares whatever little food she gets or we can get for her." "She won't let anybody go hungry." "Isn't that beautiful?" "[Spanish]" "[Malle Narrating] Rablo Ortega was the head engineer of a sugar plant in El Salvador." "One night in June, 1983... his life took a turn." "[Man Translating] The, uh, Salvadorean army visited their home... and, uh, beat him..." "The entire family of six children and the wife were beaten." "The eldest daughter was raped." "And he was left, uh, paralyzed." "That is what began the story that ended up with them... finally, after a great deal of trouble, getting to the United States." "[Malle Narrating] His wife and children came here on tourist visas... but Rablo himselfhad to cross the Rio Grande at night on his wheelchair... supported by inner tubes." "They ended up in Long Island, New York." "A refugee organization found them camping in Westbury Rark." "With the help of the Catholic Church, they moved recently into this house." "It seems like a happy ending, but Immigration found them." "The Immigration judge has informed me... that he's going to deny, uh, political asylum for this family." "The reasons why he's going to deny, I don't know." "I can't conceive of a good one." "[Malle Narrating] Joseph Fazar is Rablo's lawyer." "We'll have to wait and see what the specific terms of the decision are... before we take out our appeal." "But the important thing in this is that, without an office like mine... a voluntary agency that doesn't charge money... this family would be going to El Salvador shortly." "[Chattering On TV]" "[Malle Narrating] Rablo's kids have adjusted quickly to the American lifestyle." "Antonio, the eldest son, distributes newspapers to help the family." " He likes the neighbors." " Very good with us." "Sometimes." "[Malle Narrating] He doesn't want to go back to El Salvador, where his arm was broken by a soldier." "[Malle Narrating] Rablo's wife works all day cleaning houses." "Concocted a device to connect the brake and gas pedals... to a special handle under the wheel." "[Spanish]" "[Fazar] He's, uh, had the van four days." "He's in the process of trying to get himself work driving people and things around." "[Malle Narrating] I hope for Rablo that he gets political asylum." "But soon one-fifth of the population of El Salvador will be in this country... running away from violence and famine." "[Man] This is the formal living room." "This is a new house for us really." "[Malle Narrating] We are visiting the Miami house of General Somoza and his family." "The house consists of, actually, three sitting areas." "You have the conversation pit, which is down here." "The painting above was done by a famous South American painter... in-in Nicaragua of my mother in her younger years, of course." "We were very happy back home, with the- with a lot of exceptions." "I mean, happiness." "What is happiness?" "Right?" "[Malle Narrating] General Somoza was commander of the National Guard in Nicaragua." "His brother Anastasio ruled the country." "And this is our sitting room... where most of the time our guests, when they come here... sit and enjoy our conversation with my father." "Let me show you, uh, our dining room." "Also a conversation piece because of its size." "Normally in, uh, regular American homes... you don't find dining rooms that sit 24 people at once." "And being that we're a large family and have a few friends " "[Malle Narrating] The Somoza dictatorship went unchallenged for 40 years... until they were forced into exile by the Sandinista revolution." "They took their movables with them." "This dining room is" " Most of the, um, decoration you find here... is a mixture of Europeans and South Americans." "Uh, French, Italian." "These two pieces should be of great interest to you." "My mother purchased them in Europe many years ago." "They are French Sèvres, and they are signed." "And the interesting thing is that you can move them around and show a different side." "It has actually two faces, which " "Anytime you'd like to switch them around, you can." "And through this door I can show you our kitchen and our breakfast room." "This is - [Chuckles] That's my father, General Somoza." "This is a very typical American kitchen... where the family normally surrounds itself, you know." "You cook and you eat here." " By the way, this is my mother." " [Malle] Hello." "Uh, my mother does most of the cooking, especially for my father, who's on a special diet." "Uh, we have become very, uh, simple in our life... unless we have friends over, then we have to move over to our- to our bigger dining room." " [Spanish] - [Malle Narrating] Carlos, Luis and Julio Somoza... are the co-owners of this restaurant in a shopping mall in South Miami." "They serve exquisite Nicaraguan cuisine." "The idea came up." "We've always liked, uh, quality and - and service." "And there's also a nostalgia part to it." "[Malle Narrating] Like good American entrepreneurs... they plan to make Los Ranchos into a chain." "Meanwhile, the general and his wife live a peaceful life at home." "I asked the general ifhe supports actively the contras." " Oh, no." " He doesn't." "The contras are not supposed to have anything to do with the Somozas." "[Spanish]" "[Spanish]" "[Malle Narrating] Mrs. Somoza keeps herself busy with the sewing and the cooking." "The general, when he doesn't watch the Mexican soaps on channel 23... tends the roses ofhis garden." "[Spanish]" "[Man Translating] He loves plants, and he takes good care of them." "[Man] When we talk to him, and when we're in front ofhim... we do act differently than when we are alone... because there is that tremendous respect." "[Man #2] We were aware that, you know, he is our father... but he had this awesome power... that he could decide on somebody's life or death." "For us, he is General Somoza." "And General Somoza, in Nicaragua, was a powerful man." "And now my children do not know how to handle the formal." "And, to my father, that was originally a shock... and he thought it was very disrespectful." "[Malle] What do you think you're going to do when you're grown up?" " Maybe, uh, like, something that has to do with - - [Somoza Whispers In Spanish]" "Drawing or, like, architecture." "I've been told by some people you should, you know, tell your children everything you can." "[Malle Narrating] Dealing with the family past is difficult for Luis." "He's reluctant to share it with his children." "...on their own, really." "I'm not going to justify anything." "I'm not going to" "He will have to wait for that." "I'm not ready for it." "I'm the one who's not ready for it." "[Boy] Pull!" "Run, run, run!" " This one is a mess." " [Malle Narrating] Is it really possible to abolish the past?" "[Malle] How do you feel about this real change in lifestyle from what- what was your life in, uh, Nicaragua?" "[Boy] Nicaragua?" " Run, run." "Hurry." "Uh, I - - [Boy] Run, run, run, run." "Rulll" "I don't know." "I" " I " "To me, this is really more... a natural life than - than what we had before." "I guess you can say I'm free." "Now I really think I" " Now that " "Now that you ask me that question, I think I'm free." "I'm really happy." "[Malle Narrating] Rerhaps the dictator's nephew is becoming just another suburban American." "I'll drink to that." "[Malle Narrating] Our last water hole was the Odessa..." "Here, Russian Jews never stop celebrating being in America." "[Laughing, Chattering]" "I like the people." "I like the " "I don't know, but I love the United States." "I love the America." "It is my lovely country." "I love music." "I love freedom." "I love jazz, so I came to this country." "Oh, yes." "America - it is my dream." "[Malle Narrating] DianeJones, the singer of the band... is from Trenton, New Jersey." "How shall I call it?" "Assimilation in reverse?" "This has to be the last paradox of my American voyage." "[Malle Narrating] To all those I have pursued with my camera... whether they ended up on the screen or not..." "I want to express my gratitude and my admiration." "[Russian]"