U.S. Immigration Crackdown Pushes Some Mixed-Status Families to Leave the 'American Dream' Behind

For many, the administration's aggressive immigration crackdown has turned that dream into a nightmare, as thousands have been arrested and deported and forced to leave behind everything they built.

That was the case for Alejandro Pérez, a St. Louis, Missouri, resident who was detained by immigration enforcement on the morning of Oct. 23 while heading to work. After being taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Pérez was eventually deported to Mexico, leaving behind his two daughters and his wife, Janie Hughes.

After 16 years in the United States, Pérez was forced to start over in Mexico. The BBC reported that Hughes decided to follow him, trading their "American Dream" for a new life south of the border.

"There is nothing more important than being together," Hughes told BBC World in an interview.

She said that shortly after Pérez left home on Oct. 23, she received a call in which immigration agents could be heard saying, "Alejandro Pérez, we have an arrest warrant for you," before the line cut off.

"I fell to the floor, crying nonstop," Hughes said.

After months in detention and an unsuccessful legal process, Pérez was deported to Mexico on March 11. Days later, Hughes made the trip to Mexico with their two young daughters.

"I had tears of happiness when I saw him again at the airport," Hughes said.

But despite the reunion, Pérez told BBC World he still does not know how he will adjust to a country he barely knows.

"Right now it feels like all of this is a dream, but I believe in God and I know he did it for a purpose," he said.

Last December, a study by American Families United, a nonprofit representing U.S. citizens and their spouses and children, found that the share of long-established, law-abiding mixed-status families considering leaving rose from 45% to 81% amid ongoing Trump administration immigration policies.

The study also found nearly 60% of noncitizen spouses were primary caregivers, meaning deportation would strip families of essential care and stability.

According to the advocacy organization FWD.us, about 4.2 million people live in mixed-status families that include an undocumented spouse of a U.S. citizen, including 2.6 million U.S. citizens. In total, 1.2 million undocumented people in the United States have a U.S. citizen spouse, including 110,000 DACA recipients.

With millions living in uncertainty and fearing detention and long stays in immigration facilities, many families have chosen to leave the United States voluntarily.

That was the case for Alfredo Linares, a Mexican national, and his American partner, Raegan Klein.

The couple ran a street food business in Los Angeles, but the constant fear of Linares being detained by ICE led them to make the decision to leave on their own.

"If anything had happened to him, I could never forgive myself," Klein said from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where they now live. "I was the one who pushed for it."

After nearly a year in Mexico, the couple told the BBC the experience has been difficult. They have often questioned the decision because they have not been able to establish a stable income, though Klein remains more convinced that leaving was the correct decision.