South L.A. woman self-deports to Mexico, leaving behind her family
A mother from South Los Angeles made the tough decision to self-deport to her hometown in Mexico after spending the last 36 years in the U.S.
The woman's daughter, Julia Ear, documented the moment her family left their home for Tijuana on Saturday as the protest against immigration raids broke out across L.A.
"This was the hardest thing I've ever had to do," Ear's mother Regina Higuera said.
After arriving in Tijuana, Higuera took a flight to her hometown, Guerrero, Mexico, a place she hadn't visited in more than two decades.
"She made this decision out of fear," Ear said.
Ear added that her mother made the decision to self-deport in February, shortly after President Trump promised to ramp up deportations in his second term.
"That was the one thing my mom was really scared of, to get deported without her consenting to it," Ear said. "That was her biggest fear."
Higuera, who was a garment worker in L.A. since she moved to the country at the age of 15, left behind her three kids, three grandkids and her husband.
"This is the hardest decision I've ever had to make in my life," she said in Spanish.
Now in Guerrero, Higuera sometimes calls her self-deportation her retirement. Before moving, she built a small home in Mexico and had family to support her.
"Nobody chooses to be illegal on purpose," Ear said. "Anyone would choose to be legal in a heartbeat."
When she arrived, she hugged her mother for the first time in 22 years. She understands that self-deportation isn't for everyone.
"I don't know if it's the best decision or not for other people," Higuera said in Spanish. "But, since I decide my life, it was the best decision for my daughters and I."
Ear said her mom tried to fix her legal status, but the process became too expensive for the family.
"She had her work permit," Ear said. "That's why she had her Social Security. She's in the system. She's paying taxes."
Although the Trump administration offered free flights and $1,000 to people who self-deported through Project Homecoming, Ear said her mother didn't contact the government before leaving. Last month, the Department of Homeland Security announced that 64 people had opted for self-deportation on the first charter flight of Project Homecoming.
"We don't want to be a walking advertisement to promote self-deportation," Higuera said. "I don't want to be that. But, I also don't want to tell people to stay and endure the abuse and violence that is happening."
The family said they are still living in fear of losing other friends and family to ICE raids, including Ear's step-dad, who will make the move to Mexico in a couple of months.
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