Latest news with #Higuera
Business Insider
5 days ago
- Politics
- Business Insider
A Gen Xer self-deported to Mexico after 36 years in the US for a safer, more affordable life: "I feel a sense of relief"
Regina Higuera left the US for Mexico due to increased ICE operations in California. Higuera decided returning to her birth country would be safer and help her save money. Leaving her children and grandchildren was difficult, but she got to reconnect with her 90-year-old mother. Regina Higuera built a life in the United States. As a single mother in Los Angeles, she raised three American-born children and worked in the garment industry, making pennies per sewn item. Now, she's moved back to Mexico, the country she left 36 years ago, because Immigration and Customs Enforcement ramped up operations in Southern California this summer. Data analysis by The New York Times found that ICE arrests have increased by 124% since last year. President Donald Trump's new budget includes $75 billion in extra funding for ICE to bolster immigration enforcement. "We must expand efforts to detain and deport illegal aliens in America's largest cities," Trump wrote on TruthSocial last month. "I have directed my entire administration to put every resource possible behind this effort." Higuera, 51, who did not have legal documentation to live and work in the US, was faced with an ultimatum: Stay and risk detention and deportation or voluntarily say goodbye to her children and grandchildren. "I was really sad that I was leaving my family behind," Higuera told Business Insider. "But at the same time, I was happy that I was going to be able to see my mom, whom I haven't been able to see in 22 years." Her daughter Julie Ear shared her family's journey to repatriate her mother online. "Come with me to self-deport my mom," she said in a video posted to social media. The moment went viral online, garnering millions of views on Instagram and TikTok. "We're driving from LA down to TJ to drop her off at the airport, and she'll be flying to Mexico City," Ear said, referring to Tijuana, Mexico. Higuera was anxious at first that she might be questioned while crossing the US-Mexico border, but everything went smoothly, and she arrived at the Tijuana International Airport with three hours to spare. "Once we crossed the border into Tijuana, Mexico, I felt a sense of relief," Higuera said. " I am finally home safe, and no one can take that away from me." Living a better, more affordable life in Mexico In May, the Trump administration announced a new program to incentivize immigrants without legal status to leave the US by offering them a $1,000 stipend. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to comment on how many immigrants without legal status have applied for the program. As Higuera and her family were weighing their options, they were watching ICE raids escalate in volume and violence across Southern California. Dozens of viral videos reposted by local news outlets like the Los Angeles Times and LA Taco show federal law enforcement officers using physical force and threats to detain migrants, immigrant activists, and US citizens. Higuera decided not to apply for the funding and chose to leave on her own. "I was mostly scared of her getting detained by ICE agents here," Ear told Business Insider. She worried her Gen X mother could be mistreated in federal custody. Investigative reporting by NPR showed that ICE detention centers can be overcrowded and lack food and medical care. Plus, rent in LA had gotten too expensive for Higuera, who had been splitting $1,700 monthly with her husband and son. As a garment worker, her pay would range between $500 and $1,000 a week. To make ends meet, Higuera also did gig work, delivering food with Uber Eats and DoorDash. "It was a recurring cycle that we have been working for years: living paycheck to paycheck and have nothing to show," Higuera said. Higuera said that the cost of living in Mexico is dramatically lower, even though the move itself was expensive. The four-hour flight from Tijuana to Mexico City cost $243, and Higuera had to drive an additional five hours to her home state, Guerrero. Higuera said it cost her over $4,000 to move all her belongings across the border. To defray the costs, her daughter put together a GoFundMe that has raised $2,635. In Mexico, Higuera said, the cost of living is so much cheaper than in the US; she estimated that she needs to make $500 to $800 a month to live comfortably. "I have my small two-bedroom house where I don't have to pay rent," she said of a parcel of land she owns that she's been building on for years. "All I have to worry about is my living expenses." Her home is still a work in progress, but Higuera is already enjoying her new residence, which is near her extended family. Higuera is now semi-retired and looking for side gigs to cover her living expenses. "I honestly have no idea how much I could make out here," Higuera said. She isn't sure what kind of employment is available, but Higuera's semi-rural town still has economic opportunities. Before leaving, she packed some jewelry and items she could sell as a street vendor. "I know that I can always sell things out here the same way I did back in LA." As she settles in, Higuera can finally see a future that isn't clouded with financial stress or fear. She hopes that her husband can join her soon and that her kids and grandchildren, who are US citizens, can visit her. Higuera said the best part of coming back home is making up for lost time with her 90-year-old mother. "I love that my mom is just a couple of steps from me, and I have breakfast with her every morning."
Time of India
6 days ago
- Time of India
‘Not a criminal': Woman self-deports to Mexico after living in US for 36 years; was ‘scared for her safety'
Image: Instagram/@julieear A woman who has lived and worked in the US for 36 years has self-deported to Mexico after having lived in the country since she was 15. Regina Higuera, 51, is a garment worker whose work permit had expired years ago, has left behind her three American-born children and her husband of 25 years. Her initial plan was to return home after she had retired but under current circumstances she decided to speed up the process. Higuera did not have enough money to apply for documents and was motivated by fear for her safety as immigration raids became quite frequent in her residential area of Highland Park. 'We were heartbroken that she felt so scared for her safety that she had to make this decision, but we were ultimately supportive,' said her daughter Julie Ear, as reported by the People. 'We have friends that were deported, some were missing for a week without knowing anything about where they were.' 'She felt like a prisoner in her own home,' said Ear, noting that even carrying out daily errands had become quite difficult for Higuera. 'She has been working in this country for decades to only live paycheck to paycheck,' she added. 'My mom chose to take control of her life and did not allow this country, which she spent years contributing to, tell her that she was a criminal because she is not." Fearing questioning or detention at Los Angeles International Airport, Higuera and her family traveled to Tijuana, Mexico, and crossed the border to fly out from TIJ International Airport. From then on Higuera flew into Mexico City and drove for nearly five hours to get to Guerrero, Mexico. Higuera is 'a hard-working taxpayer who has been working 12-hour shifts since she was 15, six days out of the week,' and holds 'no criminal record,' as per Ear. The family plans to visit their mother in August. 'She is trying to lean on family out there so she doesn't feel lonely, but she is having a hard time adjusting to the cultural differences… they do things differently out there,' said Ear. Ear has around 100,000 followers across all her social media platforms and is vocal about "injustices" occurring in her city and the nation. She is also involved with grassroot organizations aiming to usher in change. 'I would like to clarify that I do not want this to be an advertisement for self-deportation, but I also want to let people know that if they are thinking of taking this step, it is not the end of the world and that there are options,' she said, as reported by the People. US president Donald Trump has pledged to launch the largest mass deportation effort in US history, targeting over 10 million undocumented immigrants. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement has allegedly received orders from the administration to detain 3,000 immigrants every day.
NDTV
7 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Woman Working In US For 36 Years Self-Deports To Mexico, Fearing ICE Crackdown
A woman living in the US for 36 years has self-deported to Mexico, having lived in the country since the age of 15, according to a report in People. Regina Higuera decided to return to her home country, fearing for her family members, as she did not have enough money to apply for documentation. The 51-year-old worked as a garment worker in Los Angeles, but her work permit had expired years ago. Afraid of being interrogated or detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers at the Los Angeles International Airport, Ms Higuera and her family drove down to Tijuana, Mexico, and crossed the border to reach TIJ International Airport. From there, Ms Higuera flew into Mexico City and drove nearly five hours to Guerrero, Mexico. "We were heartbroken that she felt so scared for her safety that she had to make this decision, but we were ultimately supportive," her daughter, Julie Ear, who has been documenting the ordeal on social media, told the outlet. Ms Higuera had originally planned to return home once she retired from the job but given the tense political climate, she decided to leave the country on her own terms. Ms Ear said her mother has no criminal record and is a hard-working taxpayer who has worked 12-hour shifts since 15. Ms Ear and her siblings are planning to visit their mother in August. Their stepfather is also planning to move to Mexico with Ms Higuera very soon. "She is trying to lean on family out there so she doesn't feel lonely, but she is having a hard time adjusting to the cultural do things differently out there," Ms Ear said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Julie Ear (@julieeear) The Donald Trump administration has given orders to ICE to arrest 3,000 immigrants each day. Deporting illegals was one of the biggest planks of Mr Trump's election campaign, but the manner in which ICE has been going about its business has invited criticism. According to a recent report by The Washington Post, ICE is now planning to deport migrants with as little as six hours of advance notice to countries that are not their own-- even without any guarantees of safety from the receiving nations. In case of deportation to countries with no "diplomatic assurance", deportees will ideally receive a notice 24 hours in advance. However, in "exigent circumstances," removal can be carried out within only six hours.
The Guardian
08-03-2025
- The Guardian
This land is your land: leaf portraits of Ecuador's female farmers
In the Zuleta community in Ecuador, farming is about more than just sustenance: it is about cultivating a deep relationship with the land based on ancestral knowledge. In her travels in the region, Colombo-Ecuadorian photographer Yinna Higuera collaborates with rural women, who in exchange share their understanding of medicinal plants and give her leaves from their gardens. In her Traces series, which has been shortlisted for a Sony world photography award, Higuera uses chlorophyll printing to superimpose the women's portraits on banana leaves, vegetables and herbs. 'Each of these women has a unique story,' she says, 'yet they all share a profound bond with the land. Through these portraits, my goal is to make their strength and wisdom visible, honouring their role as stewards of the earth.' Traces is shortlisted in the creative category, professional competition, Sony world photography awards 2025. Exhibition at Somerset House, London, 17 April to 5 May,
