Directed by Laura Angelica Simon • Documentary • 2003 • 55 minutes

When the dot.com bust devastates the high-tech industry in 2000, Anjan Bacchu loses his job. Shortly afterwards, Harshini becomes pregnant and Anjan scrambles to find new employment.

For the Flores Family, now living in Mecca, California, we see how much the family has given up: They’ve left better jobs and schools for back-breaking field work in a state where their older children are not allowed to attend high school.

For José Garcia, it’s his third season with a minor league team, this summer with the single-A Georgia Waves. His baseball career hanging in the balance, José’s life in America grows more complicated when he meets and eventually marries an American woman in Georgia.

In Chicago, Ngozi Nwidor gives birth to a baby boy. Israel names him Karm, after the strongest tree in their homeland.

Barine Wiwa-Lawani continues to struggle with her two twin daughters over boys and college plans, but we are there when she proudly watches them graduate high school.

After September 11th, 2001, we witness the impact that growing anti-Arab sentiment has on the members of the Abudayyeh family and the Arab-American Action Network, Hatem’s non-profit organization.

"In the post-9/11 era, when many immigrants are looked upon with distrust, The New Americans offers a fresh perspective...a powerful and deeply personal documentary." - Suzanne Ryan, Boston Globe