She should have been deported, too. Birthright citizenship is national suicide.

Aaliyah's songs were, thanks to Timbaland, always the *weirdest* things on the radio at the time. I'm a little baffled to see people downplay her influence and call her "cheesy". She was basically doing like the opposite of traditional R&B with her somewhat distant, icy voice in front of those oddly syncopated,…

Of course I didn't watch the fucking movie! Why would I?! I'm not sufficiently invested in Aaliyah's career to have invested the time. I read the review and commented in response to a post in the comments thread.

I don't know what you're talking about. Aaliyah died when she was around 21yrs old. This movie doesn't cover that period of her life.

I'm with you.

I like Aaliyah's music but still agree. I can't figure out how LT hoped to profit from this movie.

we aren't "every where else in the world" This is the united states. Super powerful, super rich country. Taking kids back to a country where their lives are in danger sounds more irresponsible than leaving them where they have a shot at life. I am the daughter of immigrants and when i visit latin america I am a…

Yeah. I read that part and my heart broke.

Reading some comments on this article are extremely disconcerting to someone who has specialized in immigration. There is a total disconnect between some preconceived notions regarding immigrants/prejudices about immigrants and current/historical immigration policy.

You should voluntarily deport yourself to wherever your great-granparents slipped in from to have your grandmother anchor baby. It's never too late.

Yeah, I don't understand the sacred cow treatment she gets on Jezebel. I don't remember her being that big or significant either, and she made some pretty cheesy r&b. it's not like the world missed out on the next missy elliott or something.

Am I the only one who seriously does not see the hype in Aaliyah? She wasn't that revolutionary (in my opinion). I don't even see her as a huge 90's/early 2000's icon. Seriously the movie is not that big of a deal. It's just Lifetime.

The reason that her parents put her in a "bad situation" as you say: "My parents came here from Colombia during a time of great instability there. Escaping a dire economic situation at home, they moved to New Jersey, where they had friends and family, seeking a better life."

Why, yes. That is a literal fact. How do you interpret this fact you are taking pains to call attention to? There those who might infer from the tone of your post that her parents "put" her in a situation worthy of your "bad" feelings leading one to conclude you judge the parents in a less than kind light. In short,…

Can you even read? Her parents are from COLOMBIA not Mexico. So no, they didn't come in through the border.

The situations aren't analogous. Hispanic immigrants contribute to the American workforce in numbers exponentially higher than other immigrants - numbers that American citizens (and businesses) continue to exploit.

"Throughout my childhood I watched my parents try to become legal but to no avail. They lost their money to people they believed to be attorneys, but who ultimately never helped."

Yeah, it's irresponsible of her parents to want her to grow up in a stable country. So selfish.

You really can't imagine why parents would NOT take a child back to a country with a precarious political situation? Of course they had to leave her.

Do you realize that many of those children have never been to their parent's country and do not even speak the language?