The city of Los Angeles has recently witnessed an increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, which have cast a shadow over many undocumented families living in the metropolitan area. Among them was the Ear family, whose emotionally charged journey to the border was marked by the fear and uncertainty these operations have brought into their lives.
Julie Ear, a Los Angeles resident, found herself and her family facing a heart-wrenching decision due to the intensified immigration enforcement under the Trump administration’s policies. Julie’s mother, Regina Higuera, had been a resident of the United States for over three decades and had built her life and family in the country. Despite her long-standing contribution to society and the local community, the looming threat of deportation prompted a preemptive but painful choice. In early June, Regina, accompanied by her family, embarked on what they perceived as the final drive to Tijuana International Airport, located just south of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Regina’s journey back to Mexico was not a decision taken lightly. As Julie explained in an interview with CBS News, the increasing ICE raids in other states were a clear sign that their community could be targeted next. “When the ICE raids started picking up on other states, we knew that we were going to get hit eventually,” Julie stated, encapsulating the pervasive fear among undocumented immigrants, “Nobody’s safe.”
The Trump administration, in its second term, has not only escalated arrests — with more than 100,000 detained as of early June according to internal government data — but also actively encouraged undocumented immigrants to self-deport. In a controversial move, it offered incentives including free airline tickets and a $1,000 stipend to those willing to leave voluntarily. These policies were part of a broader strategy to manage immigration through deterrence and attrition.
For Regina, the option to self-deport was a means to reclaim some control over her life amidst growing uncertainty. The fear of being abruptly uprooted from her daily life without warning was a constant anxiety. “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,'” Julie remarked, highlighting her mother’s desire to manage her own fate actively.
Regina’s backstory is a testament to the complex narratives that many undocumented immigrants share. She entered the U.S. illegally at the age of 15 and started working in Los Angeles’ garment factories shortly thereafter. What was intended as a temporary stay morphed into a permanent life when she met her future husband and started a family. Despite her undocumented status, Regina was an economic contributor, paying taxes annually without access to federal benefits such as pensions, 401(k) plans, or welfare. Julie voiced a poignant critique of the misconceptions surrounding undocumented workers: “She’s been contributing to the economy, paying taxes every year,” she said. “There’s no benefit for being undocumented; they don’t get benefits… People want to come here to work. And, you know, it’s not illegal to want to work.”
Now in Guerrero, Mexico, Regina’s new life is a bittersweet blend of relief and nostalgia. Although the stress of her precarious situation in the U.S. has alleviated, the distance from her family weighs heavily on her. “I’m happy because I’m no longer stressed,” she confessed to CBS News, “But there are moments when I think about all of you [her family] and I get sad.” The life she painstakingly built in the U.S. now lives on through her children, a testament to the resilience she instilled in them from a very young age. “That’s why I have such a strong daughter,” Regina said proudly of Julie.
Despite the physical separation, the bond between Julie and her mother remains strong, bridged by daily conversations via phone and text. These interactions are so frequent and natural that Julie sometimes forgets the physical distance between them — until family events bring the reality of separation into sharp relief. “Sometimes I forget that she’s so far because we talk so much,” Julie admitted. “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.'”
This story is a single, poignant example of the broader implications of U.S. immigration policy under the Trump administration, reflecting the deep human costs of such law enforcement measures on families and communities. As ICE raids continue and policies encouraging self-deportation are implemented, many more families face similar difficult choices, forever altering the lives and fabric of communities across the United States.
