>> you are watching american history tv. >> from the early 1960's until about filmmaker robert newman 1980, produced a number of documentaries on social justice for the united church board of homeland ministries, which was associated with the united church of christ. next, "open arms," a 1980 film on immigration that includes audio recordings of americans expressing opinions in favor of and against immigration, and scenes of the u.s.- mexico border, immigrants in new york city, and a cuban refugee camp. ♪

[piano being played] narrator: hundreds of thousands of persons are waiting their turn to enter the united states under the old quota system.

some have been waiting 20 years. their hopes, wishes and frustrations are found here, in the files of the immigration and naturalization service in washington, d.c. [jet taking off] ♪ [piano being played] >> anybody that came from france, england, italy, the men had to be physically fit, that women had to be physically fit, how come they let in everyone now? >> they opened the gates, and

all the criminals and they came into our country. >> the u.s. immigration policy is just to let in as many people as they can't. dash cam. -- can. i know the country started as immigrant -- a nation of immigrants but there is a time to stop everything, and we have to stop now. ♪ [piano being played] ♪

>> they let anybody come in. the land of the free, the home of the brave. the melting of the world. bring the boats from hungary, from africa, bring more africans. that is what we need. we don't have enough black people. we are outnumbered. ♪

>> they are coming now from countries of persecution, they come for money. in the u.s., it is unemployment. rape, murder, marijuana, hashish, you name it, they have it. >> the haitians come in, they are in brooklyn already. the cubans are in new jersey. let them come in. let them take over the rest of new jersey. maybe it will be a better place than now. ♪ >> i think it is a pure case of discrimination. haitians have to face the fact that they are black.

it upset me that they were letting in 10,000, 15,000 cubans at one time and then turning back haitians that came over the same way. what is the difference? they are the same people. the thing is, the united states runs itself on a skin level of business. [crowd voices] ♪ [piano being played] ♪

>> if we didn't have ethnic troubles here, from now, from the second world war, the poles and italians and jews all live together, and everybody had to learn english. they didn't have no jewish, and now we got to learn to speak spanish because they don't want to talk english. what kind of business is that? i say, we are americans. god bless america. i kiss every part of it, because america is the best country. i came here. i picked it. i came here from austria. ♪ >> the whole economic system and the whole world is changing, and

until people begin to have the kind of life that everybody wants, and has the basic necessities in life, you are going to have people moving from one part of the world to another, or one part of the country to another. ♪ >> i really think they come to the united states because we have a right to be free, the freedom of religion and speech, whatever they want to do without any oppression or anyone telling them what to do. ♪ [piano being played]

>> but they are not strict enough, what they are letting in. i'm afraid we are going to have trouble here because they are too lenient.

>> we should have nothing illegal in this country. they are very anxious to get here, but once they get here, they become our problem because they are not productive people. they don't work. >> they think it is the promised land. they think the streets are paved with gold and they think it is wonderful here. so they come. ♪

♪ narrator: so many cross the border from mexico to the united states illegally that jail is impossible. most who are caught are taken to the border, and after questioning, are released and go back to mexico. no one doubts that within hours, they will be back in the united states. ♪ [piano being played]

>> they should stay where they belong. we are staying where we belong. we aren't going to mexico. most of the people are out of work and they are coming here, getting jobs. we are still out of work. >> that's not right because our jobs are here for us. they got their own jobs over there. ♪

narrator: various electronic devices, military surplus from the vietnam war, are monitored to determine foot traffic across the border, both human and animal. [radio static] [gushing water] ♪ [guitar music]

>> well, they come over here and they live off the fat of the land. before they are here too long, they know more of the tricks than the people that have lived here all of their lives. kristi is not supporting them -- >> the federal government is not supporting them. they said that they are welcome and then they just leave them there to rot. >> they get food stamps, they get medicaid, they get everything, hospitals are free. we all pay for that. ♪ [guitar being played]

[helicopter engines] [rushing water] >> our society is based on the need of always having some immigrant group, and if it isn't the mexicans, it is going to be some pygmies or something.

someone somewhere has to do all the rotten work and get pushed around. >> i feel sorry for those people. if those people are hungry, they are poor, i could cry. i feel for them. i hate to see anybody do without. i am rich. about to either parent of grapes and gorge myself. ♪ [dog barking] >> we don't need no more. we have more american people of race, creeds and colors than

americans. >> and i think that is the beauty of america. that we have a blending of cultures. [cowbell ringing] ♪ >> mexicans have been coming over for years so that they could do slave labor in california at the farms. ♪ ["william tell overture"] ♪

>> if they want to become immigrants, they got to do with the legal way, not just jumping the border and sneaking in. >> it has to be honest people. nice people. >> it is freedom here, i can tell you it is too much freedom. ♪

♪ [piano being played] ♪

narrator: an endless network of trail on these hills adjacent to the border records a frenzied and persistent rush, not of vandals, out of people seeking whatever it is, real or imagined, that lies beyond the horizon. ♪

[ratcheting sound]

[indiscernible voices] ♪

[emergency siren]

♪ >> i don't think you could ever solve the immigrant problem, because america is basically an immigrant country. you could never solve that problem because people are going to come in and people are going to leave. that is how it is, in and out, up and down. >> i think the whole world wants to come to the united states. so it is really hard to decide who should come. >> as long as they don't take from me. i have nothing to do with it.

you know, as long as they don't take from me. >> we came here a long time ago. they are coming now. they came too late. we are already settled. we have been settled. they should stay where they belong. ♪

>> you can watch archival films on public affairs in their entirety on our weekly series "reel america," saturday at 10:00 p.m. and sunday at 4:00 p.m. eastern here on american history tv. >> american history tv products are available at the new c-span online store. go to c-span door -- c-span store.org to see what is new for american history tv, and check out all the c-span products. >> next on american history tv, university of maryland history

professor richard bell talks about the declaration of origins,nce, its purpose and global significance, during and after the american revolution. the smithsonian associates hosted this event. >> dr. bell has presented many outstanding programs on topics relating to early american history and the american revolutionary. over the last several years. he received his phd from harvard and his ba from university of cambridge. she is associate professor of history at the university of maryland in college park, where he specializes in early american history. he has been honored with more than half a dozen teaching awards at harvard in the university of maryland. the american society of 18th-century studies noted in innovative courses and award on the undergraduate course on the american lives in the american revolution. his book