About the Producer:

CJ  Raef was born and raised in a liberal town in Southern California where she still resides today. Since childhood her passion has been fine arts and international relations.  CJ graduated from the University of Redlands with a double major in Asian Studies and Sociology/ Anthropology with minors in Music and Dance. After graduating from Redlands she worked as a recruiter for international businesses and in marketing and communications. Most recently she worked within the International Department of Mt. San Antonio College where her primary focus was helping foreign exchange students to integrate into the American school system and culture. Soon after her work with Mount San Antonio College, CJ choose to be a stay at home mother and is extremely proud of her growing, multicultural family. In addition to raising three young children, CJ is the owner of an event planning company and fledgling production company. She is also very active in raising funds for cancer research and is currently on an advisory board for a humanitarian non-profit organization known as Village Network Africa (ViNA).


Why Make the Film?

May 1, 2006. CJ Raef, along with millions of others, was shocked by the "2006 Illegal Alien Boycotts" and the sight of millions of Illegal Aliens so brazenly marching in the streets demanding rights although they were illegally within the country. However, CJ has long believed that the strength of American society derives from the multitudes of immigrants from diverse cultures that have come to call the United States home. 

Thus, she was outraged that the mass media and politicians frequently confused the issues by lumping "Illegal Aliens" with "Immigrants" within their news stories and political posturing. CJ believes that Immigrants, who are by definition legal and have worked hard to earn their citizenship after often waiting years in order to legally immigrate into and become a part of the United States, are very different from Illegal Aliens. CJ was equally concerned by a growing anti-Immigrant backlash that was growing as a result of the perceived pressures that the Illegal Alien population was exerting on American society.

Most importantly, however, CJ was frustrated by the complete lack of facts pertinent to the issues of illegal immigration, as both sides in the mass media would frequently rely more on emotion and anecdotes than facts to support their points. Thus, CJ decided to research the facts pertaining to both sides of this emotional issue.

The result is presented in her film, "Documented America: the 'i' Word". It is CJ’s hope that this documentary helps all sides to understand the complex issues surrounding Illegal Immigration and proposed amnesties, how we all are affected, and what we can do about it.