Crossing Over is an ensemble piece that contains many overlapping storylines revolving around US citizenship. Max Brogan (Ford) is a law enforcement official who specializes in arresting people who break stringent immigration laws. He finds himself in crisis after he separates a young boy from her Mexican mother during one of their raids. The film also focuses on the rigorous guidelines laid down in post-9/11 America, detailing the shocking maltreatment of a teenage girl who faces deportation and other issues including document fraud, the green card process, work-site enforcement, naturalization, the office of counter terrorism and the clash of cultures.