Ana Yáñez Correa crossed the U.S. border with her mother in May—this time, in the opposite direction from which they came 40 years ago.
“Today marks the beginning of our new journey in Mexico,” Correa said in a recorded video for Instagram.
“Estoy saliendo de Houston,” her mother replied.
A longtime advocate for social justice in Texas, Correa served as the former interim director of the Harris County Office of Justice and Safety. She also held several roles in Texas civil rights groups and nonprofits.
Correa cited several reasons for her move, including limited care options for her 81-year-old mother and career burnout. But the 2024 U.S. presidential election cemented her decision.
“When the election results happened, there was no question in our hearts that we needed to go back home,” she said.
Correa and her mother are not alone.
For the first time in 50 years, the U.S. may experience a net immigration loss, meaning fewer immigrants are coming into the U.S. and more are leaving. That’s according to a new study from the Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute.
The report attributes the higher outflow not just to deportations, but also to more people leaving voluntarily due to recent immigration policies enacted under the second Trump administration.
A changing political climate
Like many immigrants, Correa and her mother first came to America to survive.
“We literally did not have anything to eat during the time in the ‘80s in Mexico,” she said.
They settled in Texas in 1988, cleaning houses and taking care of the elderly to make ends meet. Eventually, Correa became a U.S. citizen. She said she knew she wanted to use her voice to speak up for underserved communities.
“Advocacy is in my DNA,” she said. “My life has been that, fighting for the rights of people and doing everything that I could to give back to a country that gave me so much.”
After the election, Correa said she felt disheartened by the direction America was headed in.
She said her values do not align with the Trump administration. Correa pointed to the recently passed “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which cuts an estimated $1 trillion in funding to Medicaid and nearly $200 billion in SNAP food benefits over the next decade. The bill also extends and expands on the 2017 tax cuts, mainly benefitting wealthy earners.
“Where’s the love there?” Correa asked. “Where’s the commitment to the people? Where’s the American dream in that?”
Correa also said she witnessed anti-immigrant sentiment intensify. She highlighted the recent blocking of the Texas Dream Act, which allowed undocumented students who grew up in Texas to pay in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities.
Correa and her mother began to feel the antagonism on a personal level. She recalled an encounter at a gas station in west Houston, where a couple seemed irritated that her mother did not speak fluent English.
“We could tell the way that we, because of whatever reason, whether it be our accent, whether it be the way we look, we could tell that there was this feeling of not being welcomed,” she said. “And that’s not something that we had felt in the 40 years that we had been there.”
Leaving was not an easy choice for Correa.
“It was the most difficult decision, because a part of me, as an advocate, felt like we needed to stay. We needed to stay, to continue to fight now more than ever.”
But ultimately, Correa said she wants to live in a country that shares her values and recognizes the contributions of immigrants.
“We’re still looking for the American dream,” she said. “But now it’s in Mexico. And that’s where we’re putting our bet.”
Correa said she finds hope in the leadership of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, whose values she believes closely align with her own. Correa recognizes Mexico isn’t perfect, but she is optimistic about its future.
“We weren’t running away from the U.S. We were running towards Mexico. And why? Because the future of Mexico is bright.”
Correa said the move back to Mexico could not have been a smoother transition. One interaction with a border control officer touched her deeply.
Correa’s mother gave the man a blessing, and the man looked at her as if he were looking at his own mother, Correa described.
Still, Correa said she loves America dearly and hasn’t lost hope.
“What I am hopeful for is the millions of people that are waking up every single day and are not willing to give up. That is what I’m hopeful for.”
A rising trend
The study from the Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute projects that up to a million more immigrants than usual will leave the U.S. this year. It estimates about 2.5 million fewer people will enter compared to 2024.
The study shows these shifts are driven by stricter border enforcement, more deportations, the end of temporary protections for some migrants, and new limits on visas. The drop in net migration could reduce the labor force, limit employment growth, and slow the expansion of the U.S. economy.
Wendy Edelberg, a senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution and a co-author of the report, attributed the increased outflow to a mix of deportations and voluntary departures. She said there is an “extraordinary amount of voluntary outmigration that is arising because people are finding this environment really inhospitable.”
“If you just make this environment really hostile to a person who looks like a recent immigrant … if other countries are welcoming in them with open arms, that even these immigrants who were here legally, working legally, doing well, may say, ‘This is the right time for us to leave the United States,'” Edelberg explained.
Edelberg said although legal immigrants—those on visas or green cards—might choose to leave, she has not seen evidence of more U.S. citizens leaving since they would have to give up many federal benefits.
“The bar is pretty high for someone who’s a U.S citizen to decide that they want to leave,” Edelberg said.
A new home
Correa and her mother have now settled in Playa del Carmen in Quintana Roo, Mexico, where they recently bought an apartment.
Correa recognizes she and her mother were fortunate to choose to return to Mexico.
“We self-selected coming to Mexico, coming back to our native home,” she said. “I want to be very mindful and respectful of the fact that for many it is not a choice.”
Correa said she will return to America to visit friends, but she wants to travel elsewhere too.
So, where does she consider home?
“Where my mom is,” she said. “And when she transitions to another life, home is where my heart is.”
Great Job & the Team @ Houston Public Media Source link for sharing this story.
