In the early rush to globalization these factories, whose workers are paid a fraction of US wages, did not need to comply with costly environmental regulations. The result, according to one reporter, is that the border became "a 2,000 mile long open sewer, a vast toxic waste dump."

The public debate over NAFTA brought the border's problems to light. Today environmental issues take an important place in US-Mexico relations.

BORDERLINE CASES, a documentary essay, describes the consequences of 25 years of environmental neglect, the results of five years of earnest activity and promises made for the future.

A diverse mix of people of both countries, from grass-roots groups, government, academia, and industry, are rethinking traditional notions of borders as they engage in the search for solutions.



Grade Level: 10-12, College, Adult
US Release Date: 1997     Copyright Date: 1996
DVD ISBN: 1-59458-285-8     VHS ISBN: 1-56029-681-X

Reviews "Corcoran effectively presents the argument that corporate capital flight from the United States is not restricted to the pursuit of a lower cost labor but, also serves as an escape from environmental regulations and enforcement - Recommended for anyone interested in the effects of corporate mobility and NAFTA." Terrence McCormack, SUNY Buffalo MC Journal: the Journal of Academic Media Librarianship "This excellent film, rich with current information and ideas, focuses on three pairs of border cities seriously affected by pollution from the maquiladoras and/or from the urban sprawl that they attract, sans any new infrastructure." Science Books and Films "To its credit - the film manages to stay even-handed throughout this politically and culturally volatile set of issues - Recommended" Video Librarian