José Luis Ruiz is a ground-breaking Chicano filmmaker and media activist. As Director of the National Latino Communications Center, he was the visionary force behind the acclaimed PBS documentary series Chicano! History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement. His pioneering efforts for Latinos began early on. In 1975 he produced and directed the Emmy award winning documentary THE UNWANTED, the first major documentary to focus on the plight of Latino immigrants in the United States. Latinopia learned that José Luis obtained financing for his film from NBC in Los Angeles. We asked him how this film came about and what he thinks of the current national debate on immigration.