'At the Ready': Police and Identity in the Border Debate
“We work for you to be successful in life.” Immigrant parents, each come with the hope to attain the “American Dream”. A dream where hard work sustains life and creates opportunities for future generations.
In the film ‘At the Ready’, we see the lives of three Latinx high school students–Mason, Cesar, and Cristina–each with their own story, yet all with one universal thread that connects them all–the Horizon High School Border Patrol Program. In SWAT gear, engaging in intensive training with real-life smuggling simulations, these teens get the chance to experience the real work of Border Patrol Agents, their dream career.
Yet, this dream they are pursuing may be at odds with their very community. Fending against the very families who are just like them - fighting their way to the American Dream. The harrowing nature of their work prompts the students to question their very dream. Bullied by those who look just like them, labeled “traitors”, and seeing parents separated from children, the students are forced to question the value behind their actions. With some that even have family and friends directly impacted by the Trump administration’s harsh immigration policies, the internal struggle between policy and identity provokes a deeper discussion behind the immigration policies of society today.
We specifically see a physical portrayal of this internal conflict as the Horizon Border Patrol Program instructor asks her students, “Would you send the military to enforce further safety precautions near the border?”
50/50, the students stand divided.
In favor: “It’ll be safer to defend against people coming in” the students say.
Against: “They are not treating them as people,” Mason says.
Leaving disheartened, Mason is ashamed, stunned by the fact that these students, who live here because their families immigrated just like those trying to cross the border, treat immigrants like pests who come to infiltrate and plague American society. Tying into government policies, this classroom debate leaves students angry and the audience pondering.
Beyond the political ties of the film, At the Ready beautifully introduces identity through a new light. Mason, a closeted teen who lives his life essentially alone as his dad is a trucker, finds refuge in the Border Patrol Program, yet also feels bound by his sexual identity which may be at the cost of his own father and social standings at school. Though not the typical ‘happy ending’, At the Ready is a realistic and culturally rich film that encourages viewers to engage in a deeper discussion behind identity, community, and the unanswerable question behind self.
Written by Sylvia Xi
