Media such as television, movies, books, and even advertisements shapes peoples' opinions every single day - whether or not they're actively aware of it. One of the ways that people interact with the world around them is through stereotypes, and when media stereotypes portray certain groups of people negatively, this affects the way that they are treated in real life. In the past few years there has been a push for more accurate media representation for many marginalized groups, such as women, people of color, and religious minorities. One of the groups that is heavily affected by media is immigrants. Immigrants don't make up a huge percentage of characters in media, but they are overwhelmingly portrayed negatively. Many of the immigrant characters in media are underdeveloped - their personalities are flat and one-dimensional because their only purpose to the story is being an immigrant. Further, many immigrant characters are portrayed as criminals despite the fact that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than native-born citizens (1). These flat, underwhelming, and negative portrayals of a vastly diverse group of people leaves viewers with negative opinions about immigrants that aren't based in reality. Like other underrepresented groups, immigrant characters need better representation that accurately reflects the lives of immigrants in the United States.
Immigrant Stereotypes are Everywhere on TV - This piece from the Atlantic briefly discusses the issue of how immigrants are stereotyped in media and how that has a negative effect, as well as what TV producers need to be doing to fix the issue.
Immigrants on TV
Effects of Representation - While this article also discusses the issue of immigrants being linked to crime in television, it also talks about a study that showed that people who watched TV shows with immigrant characters/immigration plotlines (such as the season of 'Orange is the New Black' that was set in an ICE detention center) were more likely to feel sympathetic toward immigrants in real life, and were more likely to take steps to advocate for them.
25 Undocumented Characters - This article briefly describes the immigration plotlines from 25 different shows (and a few movies). Undocumented immigrants are heavily overrepresented in these plotlines (despite their low rates in reality), and a common trope that pops up is an immigrant having a fake marriage to avoid deportation.
Fresh off the Boat - This clip from the ABC series 'Fresh off the Boat' (which centers around a Taiwanese-American immigrant family) has Jessica telling her husband Louis the truth behind their marriage and her immigration story, which ultimately culminates in her application for citizenship being approved. This episode deals with the struggles that immigrants face to gain citizenship in the United States and deals with hard topics such as marrying for citizenship.
Jane the Virgin - This TV review of the episode "Chapter Ten" discusses the plotline of Alba Villanueva, who has suffered a medical emergency and is now threatened with deportation because she is undocumented. Within the episode itself is the hashtag #ImmigrationReform that prompted viewers to take to social media to discuss these very real issues in more depth as a community.
Orange is the New Black - The final season of 'Orange is the New Black' focuses heavily on an immigration/ICE plotline. This article goes over how accurate the situations in this season are and sheds some light on what actually happens in immigration court and ICE detention centers.