I traveled with a rescued dog to NYC to reunite it with a Venezuelan migrant family—and saw strangers soften as I shared their story. What came next was a film about love and loss.

Background Story: the Origin of the Project

After finishing my time on the New York City Council, I was selected for a Leadership in Government Fellowship from the Open Society Foundations, which brought me back to El Paso, Texas—my hometown and where I was born. I embedded myself in the community and quickly realized the deep need to lift up authentic voices, especially around immigration and the growing humanitarian crisis at the border.

While in El Paso, I connected with Bridge Pup, a local organization that rescues dogs left behind by asylum seekers, as Border Patrol cannot process people and pets together. These stories deeply moved me—especially when I had the chance to help reunite a little white poodle with a Venezuelan family that had made their way from El Paso to New York City. When I flew with the dog to NYC and watched the family’s tearful reunion, I saw firsthand the power of storytelling through these small but profound moments of connection.

What struck me most is how this story—of a migrant and their dog—became an entry point for conversations about immigration. At the airport, strangers asked me about the dog, and when I explained the situation, their hearts softened. That was my lightbulb moment: we need stories like this to open up the national conversation on immigration reform—stories that go beyond politics to focus on shared humanity.

That’s how I arrived at the idea for this movie—a story that follows a queer migrant and his dog on a dangerous journey north. It’s a story that explores love, loss, and the unlikely friendships we make along the way, and it’s the kind of narrative that can cut through the noise and change hearts and minds across the country.

And plus, we need more authentic stories by the people who live them.