There is no footage of exactly how the U.S. government under the Trump administration tore children away from their parents after arriving at the U.S. border. But a new film “Separated” shows how operations under former President Donald Trump’s Zero Tolerance policy were conducted, as well as its lasting impact.
The film’s most powerful visual element is its portrayal of children being separated from their parents and kept in groups in cages by the U.S. government. While the press was never allowed into the rooms where this policy unfolded, Errol Morris, the film’s creator, skillfully recreates these scenes using several pieces of evidence, bringing to light operations that were largely hidden from public view in a profoundly moving way.
The Zero Tolerance policy, which aimed to deter migrants from crossing the border, led to the separation of over 4,300 children from their families. The impact of this policy endures, with 1,052 children still separated from their parents or guardians who traveled with them in search of protection in the U.S. Parents detained at the border were taken into ICE detention and children were forced into the care of the Unaccompanied Alien Children Program of the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
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The film is based on journalist Jacob Soboroff’s 2020 book of the same name and delves into how the Trump Administration, led by adviser Stephen Miller and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, developed and enforced the family separation policy. Footage showing the policy’s execution “simply doesn’t exist, because…cameras were not allowed in those facilities,” said Soboroff, who reported on the policy and is also an NBC News Political and National Correspondent. Morris depicted a narrative that reporters “could never show,” he added during a Q&A at a screening of the film Friday.
The foundation of the film began during Soboroff’s reporting about the Zero Tolerance policy, which eventually led him to write the book, “Separated: Inside an American Tragedy,” and executive produce the film.
“Separated” arrives as U.S. voters prepare for the 2024 presidential election, where former President Trump continues to defend the family separation policy, as seen in a clip from the film. In a CNN Presidential Town Hall from last year, Trump explains, “When you have that policy, people don’t come. If a family hears they’re going to be separated, they love their family, they don’t come.” He adds that the “harsh” policy was essential for protecting the country.
Rewatching the film was difficult for Morris, as he shared that it brought up unsettling narratives about immigrants and the nation’s approach to immigration policy. “I watched it again tonight. I leaned over to Jacob and I said, ‘You know, this movie isn’t so bad, but it’s hard to watch this movie without thinking of Springfield, Ohio,’ which is appalling,” Morris said.
Viewers of the film are also given a rare glimpse into the dynamics of power and decision making, as well as both the public and private spaces where federal policies are crafted. Most notably, the film features talking-head testimonials from Elaine Duke, former United States deputy secretary of Homeland Security; Lee Gelernt, the deputy director of ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project who has argued major civil rights cases; and Scott Lloyd, who served as the director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement and who has been widely criticized for being a “yes-man” in his role coordinating with Trump’s adviser, Stephen Miller, to carry out the family separation policy.
In the film, public servants are also seen expressing their frustration with the policy and grappling with its continuous impact. One key character is Jonathan White, an operations lead under the federal government whose mission was to reunify children separated from their parents at the Southwest Border. He had an overarching voice and spoke about the immense task and trauma for families involved.
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“The idea that immigrants are vilified, demonized, used basically as a tool for fascist policies — and I don’t use the word lightly — scares me and appalls me. I wish this movie could be seen by more people before the coming election,” Morris said at the end of the film screening on Friday. “You might think that immigration is just a sidebar issue, it’s not central to America or central to this election, or central to our concerns as a country. But of course, it is. These policies are wrong, morally wrong to me, it’s not an issue of Democrats versus Republicans. It’s an issue of good and bad and right and wrong, truth and falsity.”
MSNBC will air the film December 7, but viewers can see the film in theaters and at other screenings between now and then. The film is currently showing at the IFC Center and at the Hamptons Film this month. Screenings will kick off in Los Angeles at Landmark’s Nuart Theatre on Saturday, Oct. 12.
