FX’s Mayans M.C., a spinoff of Sons of Anarchy, has been its usual overtly violent self in its second season. There have been quite a few dismemberment scenes, shootings, and other gruesome events, but what really sticks out is their blatant politics. Considering most of the show takes place near the border between Mexico and California, it’s no wonder that the characters bemoan the “paranoia” surrounding illegal immigrants.
The October 29 episode “Itzam-Ye” shows our main character EZ (J.D. Pardo) meeting up with a new friend named Gabriela (Sulem Calderon) at a food truck. In a previous episode, EZ and the Mayan MC (motorcycle club) assisted her in freeing her mother and brother from a human trafficking ring after they attempted to cross the border. Now, he catches up with her as she works with her uncle, who is a legal immigrant. Their discussion leads to what else but a slam on immigration enforcement from “the top.”
EZ: When Letty said you worked in a restaurant, I thought—
Gabriela: You did not think I would be parked on the side of the street.
EZ: It's a rough time to being undocumented. ICE raids, border crackdowns. Paranoia spinning from the top.
Gabriela: I know. They are with my family in Lodi. It is less intense up north.
It’s clear that the people behind this show don’t think highly of any border enforcement, law enforcement, or even walls for that matter. After all, the pilot even opened with the spray-painted words “Divided We Fall” on the California/Mexico border wall. That puts them in good company with most of the Democrat presidential candidates.
Sadly, it’s become mainstream to accept illegal immigration as the norm instead of as a crime. Illegal immigrants always come off as victims of the brutal ICE teams and the paranoid man at the top -- the name’s never said, but we can only assume it’s Donald Trump. And, once again, the average, lawful American is ignored.
