Video News Clips: In Their Own Words

‘I’m Taking A Certain Win’: CNN Airs Segment About Family That Self-Deported To Mexico Under Trump

Screenshot/Rumble/CNN

CNN on Tuesday aired a segment about a family that chose to self-deport to Mexico from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, under President Donald Trump’s second administration.

The Trump administration offers illegal immigrants who self-deport through the CBP Home app a free flight back to their home nation, a $1,000 stipend and forgiveness of any fines incurred for failing to follow through on a previous deportation order, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in June. On “Anderson Cooper 360,” CNN immigration correspondent Priscilla Alvarez reported the inside story of the family, which consists of an illegal immigrant Mexican father with a citizen wife and three children.

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“I’ve literally never felt anxiety the way that I have in the last few years here,” Sasha Mendoza, the U.S. citizen mother, told Alvarez.

“So you are saying bye to the U.S. for good?” Alvarez asked.

The illegal immigrant father, Julio Mendoza, confirmed his family would not return to the U.S.

Alvarez reported that the family was departing the U.S. as they were “[f]earful of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.”

“Julio is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. Sasha and their three children are all U.S. citizens,” Alvarez added. “They decided to make the move together only moments after Trump took office.”

During the interview, the father cited an unspecified Trump executive order that prompted the parents to decide to make the move. Alvarez reported that the father entered the U.S. through its southern border at the age of 11 and had resided in Pittsburgh his entire time in the nation.

“What made Trump — a second term — more nerve wracking for you to come to a decision that you had to leave the country?” Alvarez asked.

“There are no limits. There are no limits on being a target,” the father said. “The only main concern is like, he looks brown, he looks different, he doesn’t speak English. He’s the one. It doesn’t matter.”

Alvarez also reported that the parents became concerned after the Trump administration accidentally deported alleged MS-13 member Kilmar Abrego Garcia to an El Salvadoran prison, saying, “They were confronted with their worst nightmare” when it occurred.

“I can see myself in that,” the mother said. “And I don’t want us to wait until we’re in the same situation.”

Alvarez questioned the father on why he did not become a U.S. citizen.

“If you were to be put in my situation at my age to tell me to do it the right way, the whole process pretty much takes about 15 to 20 years,” he responded. “By that time, I don’t think my kids or anyone’s kids who are starving or in a dangerous situation can wait 15 to 20 years for you to come here and start working.”

The father further explained why he reached his decision.

“Rolling the dice would be staying here. That would be rolling the dice. Playing with my life, playing with my kids’ life, playing with my wife’s life,” he said. “That would be a gamble. I would say it’s taking a gamble. I’m taking a certain win on this one. For sure.

As the father spoke, CNN played footage of the family emotionally saying goodbye to loved ones at the airport.

About 1 million illegal migrants had left the U.S. since January as of June 19, according to preliminary estimates from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS). The group attributed the decline, at least in large part, to Trump’s rhetoric and illegal immigration crackdown.

Moreover, the DHS on July 2 announced an all-time low of 25,243 nationwide encounters in June.