Trama

Claudia, 22, gets busted for credit card fraud and deported from USA to Mexico. She returns to her estranged dad's ranch. She's a pocha - can't speak Spanish. She gets involved with a drug smuggler.

Raised in the U.S., Claudia (22) is an undocumented illegal immigrant living beyond her means in a twisted version of the American dream. When she's arrested by the FBI for credit card fraud, Claudia is quickly deported to Mexico. Speaking no Spanish and lost in her foreign "homeland," she reluctantly takes refuge at her estranged father's cattle ranch. As she clashes with her unyielding father, her attempts to return to the U.S. thrust her into a dangerous bond with a foreign smuggler, Ricky. Caught between her father's sermons, Ricky's promises, and the encroaching military, Claudia must navigate a tightrope of impossible choices.—Bomb-Diggity-Grant

Raised in the U.S., Claudia is an undocumented immigrant living beyond her means in a twisted version of the American dream. When she's arrested by the FBI for credit card fraud, Claudia is quickly deported to México. Speaking no Spanish and lost in her foreign "homeland," she reluctantly takes refuge at her estranged father's cattle ranch. As she clashes with her unyielding father, her attempts to return home to the U.S. thrust her into a dangerous bond with a foreign smuggler, Ricky. Caught between her father's sermons, Ricky's promises, and the encroaching military, Claudia must navigate a tightrope of impossible choices. Both a slow burning crime thriller and western, HOSTILE BORDER follows the transformative journey of a young woman confronting the high price of American ideals in the dark places between two cultures.

In Chicago, Claudia, a young immigrant woman taken across the border by her mother when she was young, is arrested. It is never made clear exactly what she was doing, but she is shown numerous times in a restroom using credit cards with some kind of device that apparently lets her collect the card information as if someone is making a, purchase from her, and a number of people are shown monitoring financial information. In other scenes, she and her mother are shown trying to get a loan because they are $20,000 in debt. Since Claudia is considered an illegal alien, even though she is not at fault for that, she is told regardless of what happens, she will be deported. The audience is told that the definition of "pocha" is a person of Mexican heritage who speaks little Spanish, and Claudia rarely indicates in this movie that she knows any Spanish. Her choices are to plead guilty and be deported immediately, with no chance of being allowed back into the United States legally, or to stand trial, which would likely lead to prison time and then being deported.

Claudia chooses to fight but is sent to a detention facility near the Mexican border. Her mother has told her to find her father Andres in Mexico. Somehow she escapes and a taxi driver takes her across, aided by a border guard who doesn't seem to care who the man's passengers are. While it is not made clear immediately to the audience that the man is her father, Claudia arrives at her father's ranch. Her grandmother, who is never shown speaking English, seems ready to welcome her, but he is not.

Andres is willing to let Claudia stay, but she will have to work. He takes her out to repair fences. Arturo is one of his employees and is much nicer. Then Rick shows up and reminds Arturo who he is working for and tells him if he is a traitor, both he and Claudia will die. Arturo tells Claudia to pretend she knows the ranch so Rick will have a use for her, and she does that. Rick is willing to keep her around, but his thugs drag Arturo behind a truck. Rick also takes Andres' 1970s Ford truck to have it fixed up.

Claudia continues to work for Andres, including setting cactus on fire because cattle that do not belong to Andres are eating it. However, Rick picks her up and takes her across the border to San Diego. He has some kind of ID card that causes the border guard not to question who Claudia is. Rick reminds Claudia she can leave him right there, and she'll always be an illegal alien unable to live a good life, or she can work for him. He hands her a big fat roll of bills. Then he takes her back across the border where she continues to work for Andres with the condition that she has to do what Rick tells her.

Andres is visited by a soldier who comments on his nice truck. He has not noticed that his old truck looks brand new and demands to know who did this. Also, when Arturo's cell phone rings, he asks Claudia where Arturo is. She says he is dead. Andres blames Claudia for all the trouble that is happening.

One night Rick returns to the ranch to pick up some suitcases, and Claudia has to help him, but Claudia hides her grandmother.. Rick hits Claudia's grandmother with a shovel when he sees her, and when Andres shoots at him, he shoots at Andres. A soldier shows up and Rick shoots him. Then the military show up and machine guns are fired. Claudia has to go with Rick in the back of Andres' truck as the soldiers shoot at them. Claudia realizes she has the device she used to burn the cactus, sets the truck on fire, and jumps out.

The next day Andres digs a grave next to the ocean and Claudia helps him. Andres and Claudia prepare to cross the border with an ID that will let him do that, but Claudia tells him to find her mother and give her the cash she hands him. Then she walks back into Mexico, passing numerous vehicles in line and people selling food and merchandise to those waiting.