“I was only 17 at the time that Esequiel Hernández was killed, but even people
older than me, people of my parents' generation, didn't know about his story...
and I started wondering why it was that his story had vanished."
— Kieran Fitzgerald, filmmaker
 
In 1997, U.S. Marines patrolling the Texas-Mexican border as part of the war on drugs
shot and killed Esequiel Hernández Jr. Mistaken for a drug runner, the 18 year old was,
in fact, a U.S. citizen tending his family's goats with a .22 rifle. He became the first
American killed by U.S. military forces on native soil since the 1970 Kent State shootings.
The Ballad of Esequiel Hernández, narrated by Tommy Lee Jones, explores Hernández's
tragic death and its torturous aftermath. His parents and friends, the Marines on patrol
and investigators discuss the dangers of militarizing the border and the death of one
young man. A co-presentation of Latino Public Broadcasting. An official selection of the
2007 Tribeca Film Festival.
 
“A poignant and impressively detailed documentary that puts a human face on the
U.S.-Mexico border debates that continue to heat up elections today.”
— Jeannie Jakle, San Antonio Express News
 
 
The Ballad of Esequiel Hernández companion website offers a video trailer of the film,
an interview with filmmaker Kieran Fitzgerald (video, podcast and text), a list of related
websites, organizations and books, a downloadable discussion guide, a classroom activity
and the following special features:
 
Photo Gallery: Two Views of the Border
The Border Film Project handed out 600 disposable cameras to two groups on
opposite sides of the U.S.-Mexican border — undocumented migrants crossing the desert
and American Minutemen volunteers trying to stop them. Migrants and Minutemen have
very different backgrounds, yet they share one profound belief: both sides would agree that
they are documenting a situation that should not be happening.

Background: Along the Border
Find out more about the U.S.-Mexican and U.S.-Canadian borders; Redford, Texas; the
history of the war on drugs and the related use of military on the U.S.-Mexican border;
and post-9/11 border enforcement.  

Ask the filmmaker: Kieran Fitzgerald will respond to viewer questions on the P.O.V. Blog
for a few days after the broadcast this week.
 
Interact with all these features and check your local listings at
http://www.pbs.org/pov/ballad

TIP: Days and times for P.O.V. broadcasts do vary, so be sure to check local listings for
dates and airtimes on your PBS station on our website.