Immigration Nation

As damning for the executive branch as it is illuminating for civilians, Immigration Nation is easily the most important TV show of the year.

The filmmakers capture ICE as it is ramping up its operations in response to Trump’s election, incisively exploring how Trump’s rhetoric has translated into nuts-and-bolts policy. ... Immigration Nation also tells human stories, where the filmmakers sit down with migrants to hear their particular saga of suffering. Each is like a vortex, lengthening into a dimension of unfathomable personal grief.

Far from a dream, Immigration Nation conveys the pain associated with that reality. If the goal is to craft policy that's both effective and humane, watching it leaves the sobering impression that what's currently in place isn't the right way.

“Immigration Nation” provides a damning indictment of the labyrinthe systems that make ICE so powerful, and a wrenching examination of the human cost its policies have wrought. ... What makes “Immigration Nation” so effective beyond its sheer depth of information is how much it lets its subjects and situations speak for themselves.

While I would never recommend binging this show unless you’re incredibly emotionally resilient, its greatest strength is in its cumulative power. The issue would have been way too much for many filmmakers to get their arms around with one series, but the total coverage of "Immigration Nation" feels comprehensive and remarkable.

All six hours of their docuseries overflow with information, from the personal stories of detainees—people like Josué, who migrated with his 3-year-old son, only to be separated by border patrol agents in El Paso, Texas—to data about the exponential growth of ICE and the history of immigration as a wedge issue in politics.

The series' major strength is in its exploration of the rolling impact of these policies.

Immigration Nation packs a powerful punch, showing the people affected by the Trump administration’s immigration policy up close. But how you feel about the docuseries will depend on where you fall in the debate.

A six-hour Netflix series that mixes reporting with an impressive amount of vivid ride-along observation. Parts of it may start to drag or feel padded, but its see-the-whole-elephant approach to one of America’s most divisive issues has inherent value. It will almost certainly leave you better informed than you were before, even if its net effect may be to further entrench people on whichever side of the debate they already occupy.

The directors, who also serve as part of the series' multi-person filming and editing team, build their argument in a way that isn't immediately obvious and occasionally feels protracted, but cinches tighter as the docuseries proceeds.

It’s a strictly observational series, so there are no explanatory titles or voiceovers. But the filmmakers do know how to juxtapose their material in ways that make unmistakable points ... Six episodes of an often dispiriting series will seem like a lot, and “Immigration Nation” often seems to wander around its various venues in search of a mooring point.