Shubhabrata Dutta
Netflix’s ‘The Gringo Hunters’ turns the tide on the immigrant issue by focusing on an elite Mexican police unit whose job is to grab illegal American immigrants and deport them back to America. Directed by Alonso Alvarez, Adrian Grunberg, Natalia Beristain, and Jimena Montemayor, the Mexican crime action series is inspired by a Washington Post article written by Kevin Sieff, which mentions such a unit and its endeavors. As expected, the people the unit grabs are sometimes innocent, while at other times, they are outright criminals who cause the team a lot of trouble. The unit’s job is to keep the heat to a minimum, although that doesn’t happen much. However, they do whatever it takes to send back those who have illegally made their way inside Mexico with some nefarious intention. Since immigration is all about borders, the show’s visuals address that in an authentic manner by highlighting the physical underbelly of cross-border politics.
The Gringo Hunters Filming Locations
‘The Gringo Hunters’ is filmed entirely in Mexico, specifically in Tijuana, Ensenada, and Mexico City. Principal photography began in the first week of March 2024 and continued for almost five months before wrapping up in the last week of July of the same year. “It’s going to be powerful to watch audiences react to Americans being deported from Mexico. It challenges stereotypes at a moment when immigration is such a central issue in the US,” Bia Borinn, who plays Orla in the show, told Kalkin Media.
Tijuana, Mexico
The crew shot most of the scenes in Tijuana, a city near the Mexico-US border in Baja California, which itself borders the US state of California. Several sequences were shot at Palacio Municipal (Municipal Palace), 1350 Avenida Independencia. Extras were hired for a protest scene, besides actors in police uniforms. The crew shifted to downtown Tijuana and taped a few scenes at the Avenida Revolución, a tourist center and one of the main thoroughfares in the city, known for its dance clubs and art galleries. Several scenes and establishing shots were recorded at the scenic shores of the Playas de Tijuana, a westernmost borough by the Pacific Ocean that is also an entertainment hub for locals and tourists alike, offering activities like surfing and kayaking.
Some sequences were also taped at Estadio Chevron, AKA Tijuana National Stadium, a ballpark located at Mision de Santo Tomas in Capistrano. San Ysidro Port of Entry, one of the busiest land-border crossings in the world, which connects San Diego and Tijuana, was reportedly used as the backdrop for some scenes. This makes sense since the show deals with crimes related to border-crossing. Established in 1906, it is the world’s largest international border crossing and serves as an apt location for filming ‘The Gringo Hunters.’ The crew also captured sequences by the border itself to highlight the show’s narrative.
Ensenada, Mexico
Ensenada, in Baja California’s Ensenada Municipality, became the second base for the shoot. A trade center that is home to the Port of Ensenada, one of Mexico’s busiest ports, the city is a go-to spot for tourists looking for a short vacation. The Ventana al Mar pier, located at Prolongación Castillo in Zona Centro, became the setting for some scenes. The crew also lensed a few shots on the El Vigía trail, including at the Cerro del Vigia, which offers breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean and is one of the city’s most popular vantage points. Some of the points and hotspots you can visit in and around the city are Riviera del Pacífico Cultural Center, Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Todos Santos Island, and Guadalupe.
Mexico City, Mexico
The production team also filmed several scenes in Mexico City, the capital of Mexico. Shooting in the capital enabled the crew to add urbanism to the visual canvas. Bia Borinn, who filmed her scenes over ten days in the city, stated how “similar Mexicans and Brazilians are. I’m from São Paulo and felt completely at home in Mexico City…It’s going to be powerful to watch audiences react to Americans being deported from Mexico. It challenges stereotypes at a moment when immigration is such a central issue in the US.”
Mexico City is an international financial capital, growing as a film and TV industry. It boasts many top-tier production studios, one or more of whose services may have been utilized to shoot controlled action sequences and scenes requiring custom sets. Other shows filmed in the city include ‘Who Killed Sara?,’ ‘Rosario Tijeras,’ ‘Signs of Crime,’ and ‘Our Times.’ Famous landmarks include Palacio Nacional, Torre Latinoamericana, Templo Mayor, Museo Frida Kahlo, and Catedral Metropolitana.
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