Be a Part of the Conversation. Follow these 8 Easy Steps.

1. Find a local theater playing film and select a showtime.

2. Choose a location for a post-screening discussion.

3. Invite your friends, family and colleagues to the screening. Ask

them to come to the film and to participate in your discussion.

4. Please use our house party kit to guide your discussion.

5. Once you have finished your discussion, please fill out our brief
survey (click here).

6. Participate in additional dialogues on Rights Working Group’s

Night of 1000 Conversations, happening all across the country.
Visit www.rightsworkinggroup.org for more information.

7. Take action with our NGO associates, included in the packet.

8. Join our social action network at TakePart.com.

If you have any questions, please contact us at

VisitorSurvey@takepart.com
 Theatrical Information
The Visitor

April 11, 2008
New York Los Angeles

April 18, 2008

Boston Chicago
San Francisco Phoenix
Seattle Portland
Washington, DC Toronto
Montreal Vancouver

April 25, 2008

Halifax San Diego
Palo Alto San Jose
Marin County Oakland
Berkeley Denver
Minneapolis Detroit
Hartford Baltimore
Philadelphia New Haven
Houston Pittsburgh
Miami Atlanta
West Palm Beach Austin
Calgary Ft. Lauderdale
Winnipeg Ottawa
Edmonton

May 2, 2008
Santa Rosa Sacramento
Santa Cruz Cleveland
Ann Arbor Milwaukee
Madison Annapolis
Indianapolis Cincinnati
Columbus Dallas
San Antonio Tampa
Sarasota Orlando
 “Remember, remember always that all of us, and
you and I especially, are descended from
immigrants and revolutionists.”
–Franklin D. Roosevelt

Article 9: No one shall be subjected to arbitrary

arrest, detention or exile.
–Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Visitor offers us a glimpse of the rarely heard stories of people in

the U.S. at risk of detention and deportation. In reality, over 400 pris-
ons and detention centers around the country now house 283,000
detained immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers every year. Some
have fled persecution and are seeking safety and political asylum on our
shores.  Some are long-term permanent residents, many of whom have
been in the US for years and are now facing exile. Others are abused
and tortured women, with or without their families. Most, like Tarek,
pose no danger whatsoever to our communities. And even though they
have the right to legal counsel, they must find it and pay for it them-
selves. Even the lucky few  who have access to legal counsel can be
quickly deported back to dangerous places, without a day in court.

As a result of this surge in detention and deportation, immigrants are

suffering poor conditions and abuse in detention facilities across the
country. Detainees are often subjected to arbitrary punishment, includ-
ing strip searches, shackling, solitary confinement, neglect of basic
medical and hygienic needs and denial of outdoor recreation. Verbal,
physical and even sexual abuses are also reported.

You just saw the story of one family. There are many others experienc-
ing the same hardships.
 The Facts
Number of immigrants: 1 million enter the U.S. annually. 35 million currently live
here.

Number of undocumented immigrants: 700,000-1.5 million enter the U.S.

annually. Approximately 12 million currently live here.

Top ten countries where people immigrate from (in order of population):
Mexico, India, China, Philippines, Ireland, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Canada,
Korea and Cuba

Where do they live? 70% of the total foreign-born population, as of 2000, live
in California, New York, Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Illinois. More
recently, there has been a shift, with more and more immigrants settling in new
gateway communities, including suburbs, the Midwest and the South.

Number of people detained: 283,000 in 2007. 85% do not have a lawyer.

Number of unaccompanied immigrant children placed in DHHS1 cus-

tody: 10,350 in 2007.

Number of people deported: 186,000 in 2006. A total of over 1.6 million since
1996.

Number of deaths in immigrant detention: 67 since 2004.

Number of detention centers: Over 400 nationwide. They include county and
local jails, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and privately contracted facili-
ties.

Cost to taxpayers: $1.2 billion annually (on average 30,000 people per night at
$95/day per bed.) Alternatives to detention, which generally include a combination
of reporting and electronic monitoring, are effective and significantly cheaper, with
some programs costing as little as $12/day.

Effects on detainees 2: Depression (86%), anxiety (77%), Post-Traumatic Stress

Disorder (50%) and worsened psychological health (50%).

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 9: No one shall be sub-

jected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Sources: Detention Watch Network, Pew Hispanic Data Estimates, Physicians for Human Rights

1 DHHS refers to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

2 These numbers are based on research on asylum seekers alone.
 Please use the following questions to
guide your discussion.

1. Which of the characters in the film did you relate to most? Why?

2. What was the most memorable moment in the film? Why?

3. Think of someone in your life who immigrated to this country. Why did they come here?
What hardships have they faced as immigrants in the U.S.?

4. Whose interests are involved in U.S. policies towards immigrants and refugees living
in the U.S.? What do we as global/American citizens have to gain or lose by providing
immigrants a nd refugees with the right to due process?

5. What are arguments for and against detaining immigrants and refugees in prison-like
conditions? Can you think of alternative ways the U.S. government could handle cases
like Tarek’s?

6. Under international human rights standards, there is a presumption against detention,

meaning that detention should be used as a last resort rather than a method of first
re sort. Do you think the detention practices in the U.S. are consistent with international
standards? If not, what could do to ensure that detention is used only as a last resort?

7. The vast majority of immigration detainees are housing in private contract facilities and
state/county jails. Why do you suppose the government is contracting out detention?
What problems might this cause (immigration detainees being treated the same as those
with criminal convictions commingling of both populations, etc.)?

8. About seven years ago, the U.S. government agreed to minimum standards of treatment
for immigration detainees. Do you think private and county jails are subject to these
minimum standards when they detain migrants/asylum seekers? Should they be?

9. Do you know if there is a detention center in your community? Where is it? How many
migrants/asylum seekers does it hold?

10. When a county/city enters into a contract with the federal government to detain
migrants/ asylum seekers, the citizens of the county/city should be able to voice
concerns via p ublic hearings. What concerns might you have? If there is a detention
center in your county/city, d
o you know if public hearings were held? Would you be
willing to demand that contracts include minimum standards for the treatment of
migrants/asylum seekers? Why or why not?

11. Consider other immigrant groups who were represented in the film. How did they fit into
the story? How was this a reflection of immigrants in your community?

12. People are often deported to countries from which they were fleeing persecution.
Consider what might happen when they are sent back there. Is there any accountability
for who we say we are as a country and what we’re actually doing?
 Take Action Now!
(find everything below at Takepart.com/thevisitor)

Connect with Real-Life Visitors

Watch videos of detainees discussing their experiences:
Live from Jail | Army Man Deported | A Mother’s Battle
Support a Detainee
Whether it’s letter-writing, translating, visiting or fundraising, there are many ways to
make a difference in a detainee’s life.
Learn More
Find a Detention Center
Locate detainee and immigrations facilities near you.
Detentionwatchnetwork.org

Connect Virtually to the Immigrant Experience

Play ICED, a video game in which you are a teenage immigrant navigating the immi-
gration system in the United States.
Icedgame.com

Get the Facts

Download research guides from Amnesty International on migration and detention.
Migration-Related Detention Standards | Primer on Migrants’ Rights

Lawyers: Connect with Experts Who Represent Detainees

Starting in June 2008, the National Legal Sanctuary for Community Advancement
and law firm O’Melveny & Meyers will conduct free continuing legal education (CLE)
seminars for attorneys throughout the nation to provide training and guidance on
representing detainees.
Learn More
 Get involved and learn more!
The following organizations provide a range of services and resources related to immigration
detention and deportation. Visit their websites to find out more about these issues and learn
about ways you can get involved.

American Civil Liberties Union www.aclu.org/immigrants

Advocates for the rights of immigrants, refugees and non-citizens, challenging unconstitutional
laws and practices, countering the myths upon which many of these laws are based.

American Bar Association Commission on Immigration

www.abanet.org/publicserv/immigration.html
Advocates for due process, provides continuing legal education and develops and assists the
operation of pro bono programs.

Amnesty International USA www.amnestyusa.org

Advocates for the rights of asylum-seekers in the United States, and for the humane and digni-
fied treatment of refugees and migrants worldwide.

Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. www.cliniclegal.org

Administrative policy advocacy, research, training, publications, direct legal representation, and
pro bono development.

Church World Service www.churchworldservice.org/Immigration/index.html

Relief, development, and refugee assistance ministry of 35 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican
denominations in the United States.

Detention Watch Network www.detentionwatchnetwork.org

A national coalition that works to educate the public, media and policymakers about the U.S.
detention and deportation system and advocate for humane reform.

Families for Freedom www.familiesforfreedom.org

Multi-ethnic defense network by and for immigrants facing and fighting deportation.

National Immigrant Justice Center www.immigrantjustice.org

Provides direct legal services to and advocates for immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers,
with a focus on the Midwest.

National Legal Sanctuary for Community Advancement

www.legalsanctuary.org
Provides legal defense, policy advocacy, and public education to protect the needs of targeted
Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian communities.

New Sanctuary Movement, www.newsancuarymovement.org

An interfaith, multi-denominational effort to accompany and protect immigrant families facing
human rights violations.

Public Counsel www.publiccounsel.org

The largest pro bono public interest law firm in the world.

Rights Working Group www.rightsworkinggroup.org

A national coalition of over 250 local and national organizations dedicated to protecting due
process and human rights for everyone in America, regardless of citizenship or immigration
status.