Latest news with #selfdeportation
The Guardian
14 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Some immigrants chose to leave the US. But is ‘self-deportation' really becoming a thing?
Their stories have emerged in new reports and on social media feeds: individuals and families, sometimes of mixed immigration status, who have lived in the United States for years and are now choosing to leave. Or, as it's sometimes called, 'self-deport'. There was Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's former deputy communications director Diego de la Vega, who lived as an undocumented New Yorker for 23 years before he and his wife left for Colombia in December, shortly after Donald Trump's election. Or the decorated army veteran, a permanent resident in the US for nearly 50 years, who left for South Korea this week after being targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice). Or newlyweds Alfredo Linares, an undocumented chef, and his wife, Raegan Klein, a US citizen, who recently moved their lives from Los Angeles to Mexico. But experts warn that just because we see stories of so-called 'self-deportation', we should be careful about believing there's any real trend. Not only does taking this route create potentially serious legal and financial issues for those leaving, convincing the public that a lot of people are self-deporting is also part of Trump's larger strategy to create an illusion of higher deportation numbers than he can truly deliver. The emphasis on self-deportation is clearly a recognition by the administration that they can't really accomplish what they've promised, says Alexandra Filindra, professor of political science and psychology at the University of Illinois in Chicago. 'It's way too costly to identify, arrest, process and deport large numbers of immigrants, especially when there are so many court fights and so many organizations that are willing to support the rights of immigrants.' Filindra says Trump is trying to take the cheap route, hoping his performative politics – everything from the widespread Ice raids across the US to sending the national guard to Los Angeles – will get people to pack up their own accord. It's impossible to put a precise number on how many immigrants have decided to leave the country since Trump took power. But for those who have, the decision is deeply personal. Linares, who was born in Mexico, still thinks of California as home because it was where he came as a teen and lived undocumented for decades. Klein was born in Canada and became a naturalized US citizen nearly two decades ago. They married last year in Los Angeles. 'We received a small amount of money for our wedding,' Klein said. 'We planned to use it to start Alfredo's immigration process.' After Trump won, though, Klein was the first to have second thoughts. 'I didn't like Trump in his first term, and then when he got away with 34 felonies and was elected again as the president, I just was like, well, come on! I mean, he's going to do any and everything he wants to do. No one's holding him accountable for anything, so I'm not sitting around.' Linares – as well as most of their family and friends – thought Klein was overreacting. The couple met with three immigration attorneys. Though he married a legal US citizen, Linares crossed the border as a teen illegally. Attempting to rectify his status would be expensive and take untold years of waiting – with no guarantee of a path to legal residency or citizenship. Furthermore, beginning the legal process to adjust his status would put him on the government's radar and may have even increased his risk of deportation. In fact, immigration court has become a dragnet of sorts. People lawfully going through the process of becoming a citizen have been showing up for mandatory court dates and getting arrested by Ice officers outside the courtrooms. Klein was eventually able to persuade Linares that they should take their small nest egg and leave while they still could. They created a video about their departure to Mexico that was equal parts love story and epic adventure. 'Apparently our video went really, really viral,' said Klein, who kept busy as a freelance television producer until a big industry slowdown a couple of years ago. Friends started contacting them and saying influencers were reposting their video. Major media outlets soon amplified the newlyweds' saga. Klein and Linares now dream of opening a restaurant together in Mexico. They say they don't think of their situation as self-deportation but rather 'voluntary departure' – the government didn't force them out or pay them to leave, they made the decision themselves. Filindra also takes issue with the phrase 'self-deportation', and warns against the rebranding of an old phenomenon known as return migration. 'Return migration has always been a phenomenon,' she says. Filindra points out that migration levels between the US and Mexico are 'practically zero' because so many people eventually go back home to Mexico, so the numbers of those arriving and those going back all but even out. According to the Pew Research Center, an estimated 870,000 Mexican migrants came to the US between 2013 and 2018, while an estimated 710,000 left the US for Mexico during that period. During the decade prior, however, more migrants left the US for Mexico than came here. 'The same was true in the 20th century with European migrants who often spent 20 or 30 years here, made enough money to retire and then went back home,' says Filindra. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion But this isn't exactly self-deportation, and the phrase itself has a problematic history. Though now being used in serious policy discussions, it was created as a joke by comedians Lalo Alcaraz and Esteban Zul in the early 90s. The duo posed as conservative Latinos supporting Hispanics Against a Liberal Takeover (Halto). They even invented a militant self-deportationist and sent fake press releases to media outlets promoting satirical self-deportation centers. In 2012 Mitt Romney, seemingly unaware of – or perhaps unbothered by – the comedic roots of the term, started using 'self-deportation' during his unsuccessful bid for the presidency. Now the US Department of Homeland Security has latched on to the term. In May, the DHS claimed that 64 people took a government-funded flight to Colombia and Honduras as part of its new program encouraging undocumented immigrants to 'self-deport'. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is overseeing the program, which it calls 'assisted voluntary return' (AVR). Undocumented people can apply for AVR using the CBP Home app. Though the details remain murky, applicants supposedly receive a $1,000 stipend and travel assistance home. However, according to a source familiar with the program who requested anonymity, approximately 1,000 individuals have been referred by the US government to the IOM through the AVR program, but to date the agency has facilitated the departure of 'only a few' people. Immigration experts say this also squares with what they are seeing. 'A thousand dollars is chump change when it comes to giving up a life in the United States,' said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at American Immigration Council. 'The majority of undocumented immigrants have been here for more than 15 years. They have a job. Many have family here, some own property. Some run their own businesses.' Furthermore, many immigrants are here because of dire situations and life-threatening conditions in their home countries. They have nowhere to return to. Immigration attorneys also warn that because the Trump administration hasn't been transparent, too little is known about the program to trust it. In fact, an additional directive from the administration on 9 June announced that the DHS would 'forgive failure to depart fines for illegal aliens who self-deport through the CBP Home app' – though most people would have no idea that fines are levied or how much those fines are. Even with the administration's recent Ice raids and the supposed sweetening of the self-deportation deal, Filindra says most migrants will still not just leave. 'What is more likely is that people who have a non-permanent status and need to visit immigration offices to extend their status, or those who have hearings, will not go out of fear of being arrested and deported.' And she says we should all hope that the administration's obsession with all types of deportation is a flop. If too many immigrants are forced, threatened or incentivized to leave, industries from agriculture to healthcare will take a huge hit. 'Economically, this could be devastating for the US,' said Filindra. Linares and Klein also warn that while they believe they made the right decision, leaving home is rough. Linares describes it as a rollercoaster. 'The people have embraced us in Mexico, but it's also been a challenge to figure out how things work here.' He's still trying to get his Mexican driver's license and passport. And he misses his LA friends, co-workers and even Griffith Park, his favorite place to hike with his dog. 'It was 20 years of my life there that I dedicated to building something. It's gone.' After going public with her story, Klein expected to hear from many undocumented people or mixed-status families choosing, or at least considering, leaving the US on their own terms – but so far, she hasn't. 'I don't think a lot of undocumented people are leaving right now,' she says. 'But if something doesn't change – like if Trump isn't put into check very soon – I think you will see a lot more people abandoning the US in 2026.'
The Guardian
18 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Some immigrants chose to leave the US. But is ‘self-deportation' really becoming a thing?
Their stories have emerged in new reports and on social media feeds: individuals and families, sometimes of mixed immigration status, who have lived in the United States for years and are now choosing to leave. Or, as it's sometimes called, 'self-deport'. There was Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's former deputy communications director Diego de la Vega, who lived as an undocumented New Yorker for 23 years before he and his wife left for Colombia in December, shortly after Donald Trump's election. Or the decorated army veteran, a permanent resident in the US for nearly 50 years, who left for South Korea this week after being targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice). Or newlyweds Alfredo Linares, an undocumented chef, and his wife, Raegan Klein, a US citizen, who recently moved their lives from Los Angeles to Mexico. But experts warn that just because we see stories of so-called 'self-deportation', we should be careful about believing there's any real trend. Not only does taking this route create potentially serious legal and financial issues for those leaving, convincing the public that a lot of people are self-deporting is also part of Trump's larger strategy to create an illusion of higher deportation numbers than he can truly deliver. The emphasis on self-deportation is clearly a recognition by the administration that they can't really accomplish what they've promised, says Alexandra Filindra, professor of political science and psychology at the University of Illinois in Chicago. 'It's way too costly to identify, arrest, process and deport large numbers of immigrants, especially when there are so many court fights and so many organizations that are willing to support the rights of immigrants.' Filindra says Trump is trying to take the cheap route, hoping his performative politics – everything from the widespread Ice raids across the US to sending the national guard to Los Angeles – will get people to pack up on their own accord. It's impossible to put a precise number on how many immigrants have decided to leave the country since Trump took power. But for those who have, the decision is deeply personal. Linares, who was born in Mexico, still thinks of California as home because it was where he came as a teen and lived undocumented for decades. Klein was born in Canada and became a naturalized US citizen nearly two decades ago. They married last year in Los Angeles. 'We received a small amount of money for our wedding,' Klein said. 'We planned to use it to start Alfredo's immigration process.' After Trump won, though, Klein was the first to have second thoughts. 'I didn't like Trump in his first term, and then when he got away with 34 felonies and was elected again as the president, I just was like, well, come on! I mean, he's going to do any and everything he wants to do. No one's holding him accountable for anything, so I'm not sitting around.' Linares – as well as most of their family and friends – thought Klein was overreacting. The couple met with three immigration attorneys. Though he married a legal US citizen, Linares crossed the border as a teen illegally. Attempting to rectify his status would be expensive and take untold years of waiting – with no guarantee of a path to legal residency or citizenship. Furthermore, beginning the legal process to adjust his status would put him on the government's radar and may have even increased his risk for deportation. In fact, immigration court has become a dragnet of sorts. People lawfully going through the process of becoming a citizen have been showing up for mandatory court dates and getting arrested by Ice officers outside the courtrooms. Klein was eventually able to persuade Linares that they should take their small nest egg and leave while they still could. They created a video about their departure to Mexico that was equal parts love story and epic adventure. 'Apparently our video went really, really viral,' said Klein, who kept busy as a freelance television producer until a massive industry slowdown a couple of years ago. Friends started contacting them and saying influencers were reposting their video. Major media outlets soon amplified the newlyweds' saga. Klein and Linares now dream of opening a restaurant together in Mexico. They say they don't think of their situation as self-deportation but rather 'voluntary departure' – the government didn't force them out or pay them to leave, they made the decision themselves. Filindra also takes issue with the phrase 'self-deportation', and warns against the rebranding of an old phenomenon known as return migration. 'Return migration has always been a phenomenon,' she says. Filindra points out that migration levels between the US and Mexico are 'practically zero' because so many people eventually go back home to Mexico, so the numbers of those arriving and those going back all but even out. According to the Pew Research Center, an estimated 870,000 Mexican migrants came to the US between 2013 and 2018, while an estimated 710,000 left the US for Mexico during that period. During the decade prior, however, more migrants left the US for Mexico than came here. 'The same was true in the 20th century with European migrants who often spent 20 or 30 years here, made enough money to retire and then went back home,' says Filindra. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion But this isn't exactly self-deportation, and the phrase itself has a problematic history. Though now being used in serious policy discussions, it was created as a joke by comedians Lalo Alcaraz and Esteban Zul in the early 90s. The duo posed as conservative Latinos supporting Hispanics Against a Liberal Takeover (Halto). They even invented a militant self-deportationist and sent fake press releases to media outlets promoting satirical self-deportation centers. In 2012 Mitt Romney, seemingly unaware of – or perhaps unbothered by – the comedic roots of the term, started using 'self-deportation' during his unsuccessful bid for the presidency. Now the US Department of Homeland Security has latched on to the term. In May, the DHS claimed that 64 people took a government-funded flight to Colombia and Honduras as part of its new program encouraging undocumented immigrants to 'self-deport'. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is overseeing the program, which it calls 'assisted voluntary return' (AVR). Undocumented people can apply for AVR using the CBP Home app. Though the details remain murky, applicants supposedly receive a $1,000 stipend and travel assistance home. However, according to a source familiar with the program who requested anonymity, approximately 1,000 individuals have been referred by the US government to the IOM through the AVR program, but to date agency has facilitated the departure of 'only a few' people. Immigration experts say this also squares with what they are seeing. 'A thousand dollars is chump change when it comes to giving up a life in the United States,' said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at American Immigration Council. 'The majority of undocumented immigrants have been here for more than 15 years. They have a job. Many have family here, some own property. Some run their own businesses.' Furthermore, many immigrants are here because of dire situations and life-threatening conditions in their home countries. They have nowhere to return to. Immigration attorneys also warn that because the Trump administration hasn't been transparent, too little is known about the program to trust it. In fact, an additional directive from the administration on 9 June announced that the DHS would 'forgive failure to depart fines for illegal aliens who self-deport through the CBP Home app' – though most people would have no idea that fines are levied or how much those fines are. Even with the administration's recent Ice raids and the supposed sweetening of the self-deportation deal, Filindra still says most migrants will still not just leave. 'What is more likely is that people who have a non-permanent status and need to visit immigration offices to extend their status, or those who have hearings, will not go out of fear of being arrested and deported.' And she says we should all hope that the administration's obsession with all types of deportation is a flop. If too many immigrants are forced, threatened or incentivized to leave, industries from agriculture to healthcare will take a huge hit. 'Economically, this could be devastating for the US,' said Filindra. Linares and Klein also warn that while they believe they made the right decision, leaving home is rough. Linares describes it as a roller coaster. 'The people have embraced us in Mexico, but it's also been a challenge to figure out how things work here.' He's still trying to get his Mexican driver's license and passport. And he misses his LA friends, co-workers and even Griffith Park, his favorite place to hike with his dog. 'It was 20 years of my life there that I dedicated to building something. It's gone.' After going public with her story, Klein expected to hear from many undocumented people or mixed-status families choosing, or at least considering, leaving the US on their own terms – but so far, she hasn't. 'I don't think a lot of undocumented people are leaving right now,' she says. 'But if something doesn't change – like if Trump isn't put into check very soon – I think you will see a lot more people abandoning the US in 2026.'
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Cornell student on self-deportation from the US
Cornell student on self-deportation from the US UNMUTE Momodou Taal, a British-Gambian international student at Cornell University, talks about the circumstances that compelled him to self-deport from the United States. Video Duration 04 minutes 47 seconds 04:47 Video Duration 05 minutes 11 seconds 05:11 Video Duration 05 minutes 40 seconds 05:40 Video Duration 04 minutes 57 seconds 04:57 Video Duration 03 minutes 46 seconds 03:46 Video Duration 05 minutes 30 seconds 05:30 Video Duration 04 minutes 17 seconds 04:17
CBS News
3 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
As ICE raids ramped up across L.A., a grandmother who lived in the U.S. for 36 years chose to self-deport and leave her family behind
Los Angeles — As U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stepped up raids across Los Angeles in recent weeks, Julie Ear and her family made a difficult drive to Tijuana International Airport just south of the U.S.-Mexico border. Ear's mother, Regina Higuera, had lived in the United States for 36 years. But on this particular morning in early June, she left her home, her children and grandchildren — all of whom are U.S. citizens — and headed back to her birthplace in Mexico. "When the ICE raids started picking up on other states, we knew that we were going to get hit eventually," Ear told CBS News. "Nobody's safe." Since President Trump began his second term, ICE has arrested more than 100,000 people as of early June, according to internal government data obtained by CBS News. The Trump administration has also encouraged undocumented migrants to self-deport. Last month, it announced it would offer free airline tickets and a $1,000 incentive to some migrants who chose to leave the U.S. and return to their home countries on their own accord. Ear said her mother chose to self-deport because "she wanted to make sure that she was in control of her life." "She didn't like the uncertainty of somebody coming into her house, or her job, or being pulled over, and just telling her, 'Oh, now you're in Mexico,'" Ear said of her mother. Higuera had crossed into the U.S. illegally when she was only 15 and went straight to work in Los Angeles' garment factories, Ear said. She had intended to stay for just a period of time, earn enough money and then return to Mexico. But then she met her husband and started a family. "She's been contributing to the economy, paying taxes every year," Ear said. "There's no benefit for being undocumented, they don't get benefits. She's not going to get a pension. She doesn't have a 401(k). She never got food stamps. She didn't get welfare. People want to come here to work. And, you know, it's not illegal to want to work." Now, recently reunited with her own mother in Guerrero, Mexico, Higuera said nearly everything outside of her new home is unfamiliar. "I'm happy because I'm no longer stressed," Higuera told CBS News from her new home in Mexico of her decision to leave the U.S. "But there are moments when I think about all of you [her family] and I get sad." The better life she worked to build in the U.S. is now being carried on by her children. "That's why I have such a strong daughter," Higuera said of Ear. "From a very young age, I taught her, we have to be strong no matter what situation that we find ourselves in." Ear said she talks and texts with her mother daily. "Sometimes I forget that she's so far because we talk so much," Ear said. "But then that is when the family thing happens, that's when I'm like, 'Oh my God, you're actually gone. You're not actually here.'"
Daily Mail
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
LA grandmother self-deports over Trump fears
A grandmother has chosen to self-deport over fears she'd be kicked out of the United States and sent to Mexico by Donald Trump . The 51-year-old woman, identified only as Regina, has lived in South Los Angeles since 1989 but boarded a one-way flight to Mexico City on June 7 and left her life behind. Her daughter, Julie Ear, said her mother had become frightened over the Trump Administration's continued efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and deportations. 'After decades of hard work in the US, she made the difficult decision to return home, not because she wanted to, but because it was the only option left,' Ear wrote on a GoFundMe for her mother's new life. Regina had been working to gain citizenship, and meanwhile had raised her family and worked as a garment worker in the city's Fashion District. As Regina boarded her flight, her family drove to Tijuana, Mexico, to say goodbye, as she leaves behind three children and three grandchildren. 'She was afraid they would come to her house,' Ear told KTLA 5 . 'She was afraid to drive, to be pulled over and taken in.' 'The worst part was saying goodbye to her kids and grandchildren. That was the hardest part for her.' She said that her mother decided not to take advantage of Trump's Project Homecoming, which offers financial aid including government funded flights and an 'incentive' of $1,000 to those who self deport. 'It honestly feels like a trap,' Ear said. '[Especially] once we give up that control to somebody else, to the government that is obviously not on our side.' Ear videoed her mother's journey and posted it on social media, where it went viral. The compilation of videos shows her family getting up at 5am with her mom in the back of the car. Regina and her family were videoed journeying into Tijuana and spending time in the airport together before her flight. 'She made this decision months ago and even though it breaks my heart, I'd rather see her leave than live here in fear,' Ear wrote on Instagram. 'She is the most Americanized person I know and a total diva! She has spent most of her life in the US, so this is going to be a huge adjustment for her.' Regina was seen tearfully hugging her family members in heartbreaking moments throughout the video as they said goodbye. 'I just hugged her so close to me,' Ear told KTLA 5. 'I kissed her. I kept telling her, "Don't worry, Mom. I'm going to see you very soon".' After landing in Mexico, Regina was able to see her mother for the first time in 22 years. A father-of-four self-deported to Mexico with his American wife and four US born children due to the same fears harbored by Regina and her family. Cenobio Feliciano-Galeana crossed into the United States illegally when he was 18, and since then has built his life in America. But despite his children and his wife, he was unable to obtain citizenship or a green card. Now, following the ruthless crackdown on illegal immigrants and the looming threat of ICE agents, Cenobio made the decision to self-deport. At the end of the year, Ashlee, Cenobio's wife, plans to move with her four children to a country they have never known, just to keep the family together. Since they began their relationship, Ashlee says she and her family have been trying to get Cenobio through the process to gain legal status in the U.S., with no luck. Several lawyers and thousands of dollars later, she says not even being married to a U.S. citizen helps Cenobio's cause. 'If I had a penny for every time somebody has said that, I'd have the money to pay for those lawyers,' she said. She says the lawyers initially told them they had a fifty-fifty chance of getting Cenobio lawful permanent residence or citizenship. After the Trump administration was sworn in, she says she was told they had no chance. Their options were to stay and risk it—or have Cenobio self-deport and try again in 10 years. 'We have a six-year-old down to a nine-month-old baby. Ten years without a father? That is huge,' Ashlee said. For her, moving with him is the only option. Staying behind in the U.S. was out of the question. 'Wait for one day them to come into my home and take my husband away like a criminal and have my kids have to see that. And I decided that was not a choice I was willing to live with,' she said. Ashlee says Cenobio never committed a crime. His name doesn't bring anything up in the Utah court system. His only offense was being caught at the border twice and crossing illegally. That itself is a crime—one that Ashlee acknowledges but doesn't believe should be a life sentence. 'He was born on the wrong side of a line. He came here because he was starving. You know, what would you do if he truly went days without eating, starving? Where would your desperation lead you?' she said. The Trump Administration has heavily pushed for any illegal immigrants in the United States to self-deport, instead of being detained by ICE officials. United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem gave a stern warning to any undocumented immigrants in an advertisement pushing the deportations and arrests of illegal immigrants. 'Leave now. If you don't, we will find you and deport you,' Noem said. 'You will never return.' Self-deportation typically allows an individual to reenter the United States without the bans that follow from an official deportation. According to ICE, a bar on reentry for a specific period of time can be imposed once proceedings before a Department of Justice immigration judge take place. 'ICE may agree to seek dismissal of removal proceedings if you prove you left the US on your own - and that way, you may be able to avoid getting a final order of removal [and the negative consequences that come with it],' the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement website said. The reentry ban can range from five to twenty years depending on the severity of the crime. Individuals who were removed after a short unlawful stay in the US can face a ban of five years, while repeat offenders who have been removed multiple times can face around a twenty year ban. Anyone who was involved in 'serious criminal activity' or those who reentered the US illegally following deportation can face a permanent ban.
