Fearing ICE crackdown, woman working in US for 36 years self-deports

A woman who had been living in the United States for 36 years has voluntarily returned to Mexico, according to a People report. Regina Higuera, who moved to the U.S. at the age of 15, chose to leave the country due to concerns for her family’s safety and her inability to afford the legal process to obtain documentation.

Now 51, Higuera had been working as a garment worker in Los Angeles, though her work permit had expired several years ago.

Worried about the possibility of being questioned or detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Los Angeles International Airport, she and her family opted to drive to Tijuana instead.

They crossed into Mexico and from there, Higuera boarded a flight to Mexico City before undertaking a five-hour drive to Guerrero, her home state.

Her daughter, Julie Ear, who has shared their experience on social media, said the family was deeply saddened by Higuera’s decision, but ultimately understood and supported it, recognising the fear and pressure that led her to act, NDTV reported.

Higuera had once intended to return to Mexico after retirement, but given the increasingly tense political atmosphere, she felt compelled to leave sooner and on her own terms.

According to Ear, her mother has never had a criminal record and has spent decades working tirelessly, often clocking in 12-hour shifts since her teenage years, contributing as a taxpayer throughout her time in the U.S.

While Ms Ear and her siblings plan to visit their mother in August, their stepfather is planning to move to Mexico with Ms Higuera very soon.

The Trump administration reportedly instructed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to carry out 3,000 immigrant arrests daily, aligning with one of Donald Trump's key campaign promises to crack down on undocumented immigration. However, the aggressive methods employed by ICE have drawn significant criticism.

A Washington Post report revealed that ICE is now prepared to deport individuals with as little as six hours’ notice, even to countries they are not originally from and without safety assurances from those nations. In cases where there are no formal diplomatic agreements with the destination country, deportees are generally supposed to receive at least 24 hours' notice.

Yet, under what ICE refers to as "exigent circumstances," deportations can proceed in as little as six hours, raising serious concerns about due process and migrant safety.