A Mexican Couple in California Plans to Self-Deport—and Leave Their Kids Behind

This article tells the story of Rosalinda and Manuel, an undocumented Mexican couple living in San Bernardino, California, who are planning to self-deport to Mazatlán, Mexico, once their youngest daughter, Lily, turns eighteen. Their decision is largely influenced by the escalating ICE raids and aggressive anti-immigrant policies under the Trump administration, which have instilled profound fear in their community. The piece delves into the emotional toll this impending separation takes on their three U.S.-born children, highlighting the unique challenges, hypervigilance, and 'parentification' experienced by children of undocumented immigrants. It also explores the broader impact on the immigrant community in San Bernardino, including increased security measures and a collective sense of betrayal, as the family grapples with the painful choice between perceived safety in Mexico and a life without their children in the only country they've ever truly known as home.