The story J. tells about his friend's mother who smuggles her deported housekeeper back into the US is true. Brett Spackman learned of his friend's adventure early in the writing process. Brett and Brian Petersen liked it so much they incorporated it into the script and it later became a significant plot point.
The compartment used to hide immigrants in the back of J's pick-up truck doubled as storage for camera and sound equipment. The actors and filmmakers drove the truck back and forth across the US/Mexico border numerous times during production and were never asked to show its contents.
Repairs on the pick-up truck during production were three times the amount of the truck's original purchase price.
Filming in Altar, MX was cut short when the filmmakers were warned by real-life coyote gangs they were not welcome. Altar is a hub for actual border crossings. Paying customers stock up on supplies there and then are taken by van to the desert where they finish their journey on foot.
Several Mexican children playing on the beach watched in stunned silence as Brian Petersen walked right through the fence and into the US at the Baja California ocean border. They were equally surprised when he returned.