Parity Pipeline

Genre

Synopsis

SI PUDIERA QUEDARME / IF I COULD STAY is an intimate portrait of Jeanette Vizguerra and Ingrid Encalada Latorre, two undocumented Latinx mothers, who go to dramatic lengths to fend off deportation and separation from their families in the United States. The film chronicles five years in their lives as they enter sanctuary at local churches, rather than report to ICE to be deported. Once they enter sanctuary, they physically do not leave the church grounds until they attain legal status, a process that can take years. ICE is currently practicing a ‘sensitive locations’ policy, which dictates not to enforce deportations in houses of worship and creates a temporary refuge for immigrants facing deportation. After Jeanette’s husband was kidnapped three times in Mexico City as a bus driver, she had enough. They made their way to the U.S. with their youngest child, settled in the Denver area, and had three more children. But then Jeanette’s mother’s health began to fail and she went back to Mexico to see her before she died. On her way back to the U.S. Jeanette was apprehended by Border Patrol, and her deportation saga started. Ingrid was 17, had no options or future in rural Peru, and had an Aunt living close to Boulder. “Come here.”, said her Aunt. So she did. But without papers in the U.S., it’s almost impossible to survive working under the table. Without knowing the implications, Ingrid bought a social security number, as many undocumented people do, to work in restaurants and cleaning houses. It wasn’t until she had two small kids and a stable life, that she was arrested, put in immigrant detention, and charged with a serious felony, identity fraud. She has been battling a deportation case for the past 7 years, and can only expunge her criminal record with a pardon from the Governor of Colorado. After all of their legal options had been exhausted, and ICE was about to deport them, both Jeanette and Ingrid made the gut-wrenching move to enter sanctuary, not to leave the church grounds until their case was resolved. This process has taken years, and the toll of being separated from their families, and society, takes a mental, emotional, and physical toll. This film delves into the complex mental-scape of these courageous mothers, and their relationships with the mainly White, allied church communities. In Sanctuary Rising, we see these two mothers organizing and activating the predominantly white communities of the churches they inhabit. These congregations grapple with how to put their power, privilege, and faith into action to support their undocumented guests. The film explores the friendships and relationships that develop between Jeanette, Ingrid, and their white allied hosts, while focusing on the learning and unlearning needed to be an effective ally towards undocumented communities. As part of their efforts to gain legal status, Jeanette and Ingrid create multiple campaigns to surmount their legal challenges. They engage their allied church communities as they work to have their voices heard, and shift the paradigm of power to place agency and leadership in the hands of undocumented women of color. With an observational lens, we see these two Latinx mothers claiming their power, fighting for respect, and teaching allied communities myriad lessons. Jeanette emphasizes “Providing Sanctuary is not doing us a favor. This is an act of social justice.” The structure of Sanctuary Rising interweaves the arcs of Jeanette and Ingrid’s tireless efforts to gain legal status by entering sanctuary within their respective churches’ walls. Jeanette entered sanctuary in 2017, to leave 86 days later. She has protection from deportation for two years and the film follows her journey as she makes the difficult decision to re-enter sanctuary after the two years of safety expire, and once again she is separated from her three children. Ingrid entered Sanctuary in 2017, and has not left the church in over four years. The film follows her advocacy to get a pardon for her criminal conviction, and re-open her immigration case. Ingrid has her third child while in sanctuary, which tests the allied communities ability to accept her choice to grow her family while living in a dire situation. The two mothers know each other and have formed a close bond as Jeanette advises Ingrid on how to build her campaign for a pardon from the Governor of Colorado. Jeanatte mentors Ingrid as she moves from being timid, to becoming an outspoken activist in her own right. Ingrid and Jeanette’s stories are happening in parallel with each other, one in Denver, and one in close-by Boulder, CO. They lean on each other in times of need, celebrate victories together, and support one another throughout the constant struggle of everyday life in sanctuary. We follow their stories into the Covid-19 pandemic, and how it transforms their lives inside the church and relationship with their congregations.