This is the story of Mexican workers recruited in the early 1900s to work the railroads in Galesburg, Illinois. Mexico was torn by a bloody civil war and many American men had gone off to fight in World War I. The railroad companies looked south, offering displaced Mexicans a job and a place to raise a family … a home in the form of a boxcar.

Using historic film and photos and original testimonials, the film tells the tale of a proud people with strong  traditions and deep faith who came to love their adopted country. Boxcar People is a truly inspiring story of immigrants rising up against all odds. It sheds light upon a rarely heard story of the Midwest’s Mexican population in context of American history, and puts a face on generations of immigrants who have built this country, but still struggle for acceptance and civil rights.