Teatro Indocumentado

Last fall, Andrew Stelzer went to Iowa for Studio 360 to tell the story of a unique amateur theater group, Teatro Indocumentado.

The group formed in the aftermath of the largest immigration raid at a single site in United States history. In May 2008 Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested 389 undocumented migrants in Postville, Iowa. Most of the workers were quickly tried, sentenced, and deported, but a few remained in the country to testify in the trial of their plant’s owners.

Unable to work, the remaining migrants formed Teatro Indocumentado, or the Theater of the Undocumented, and staged a play to tell their stories. They’ll perform that play, ‘La Historia de Nuestras Vidas’ (The Story of Our Lives), for the last time on Monday, March 22, in Chicago, Illinois, before they are deported the following morning.

You can hear Andrew’s story here.

-Michael Guerriero

Invest in independent global news

The World is an independent newsroom. We’re not funded by billionaires; instead, we rely on readers and listeners like you. As a listener, you’re a crucial part of our team and our global community. Your support is vital to running our nonprofit newsroom, and we can’t do this work without you. Will you support The World with a gift today? Donations made between now and Dec. 31 will be matched 1:1. Thanks for investing in our work!