Borderline

Somewhere along a thousand miles of barbed wire border that American dream has become a nightmare. The United States Border Patrol caught 1,069,400 illegal aliens in 1979, 95% of whom where Mexicans. It is estimated that more than twice that number eluded capture and successfully entered the United States. There are between six and twelve million illegal aliens currently living in the U.S. Jeb Maynard (CHARLES BRONSON) is the U.S. Border Patrol officer in charge of the La Mesa, California station, 20 miles east of San Diego. Jeb is an unorthodox administrator - the "last of the cowboys". His best friend is the older, veteran border patrolman, Scooter Jackson (A WILFORD BRIMLEY). Rookie Jimmy Fante (BRUNO KIRBY), a recent New York City transplant is assigned to Jeb for experience. A young Mexican boy (BENITO MORALES) begins a journey to the United States to join his mother. He is guided by "pollero" (smuggler), an American ex-GI and vietnam veteran named Hotchkiss (ED HARRIS), who is part of a highly organised and effiicent smuggling operation. On a routine highway surveilance for illegals, Scooter stops the truck in which Hotchkiss's group of aliens are being transported . When its rear doors are opened, Hotchkiss fires a sawed-off shotgun point blank at Scooter, killing him and seriously wounding the young Mexican boy. Hotchkiss coldly kills the youth and leaves the two bodies ina roadside ditch. Jeb is on the murder scene before the FBI and on the murder trail. © ITC