Jorge Paz Reyes still remembers how he felt during his first few months in fifth grade after arriving in the United States from Honduras with his mother and three sisters. It was difficult to adjust.
“I cried every morning. My mother was so fed up with me,” he says, recalling their conversation. “She sat me down and said, ‘Jorge, you shouldn’t be crying all the time. I can’t pick her up from school every day, otherwise she won’t let me eat. ”
Jorge, now an activist and community member with Mixteca, an organization that provides free health and education services to New York City’s immigrant communities, grew up in New York City as a child of undocumented immigrants. He is currently a permanent resident applying for citizenship through the Special Youth Program. But some of his relatives remain in the country illegally and fear they will be deported under the next administration. “I have someone close to me who is in the country illegally, and I might lose her because of Donald Trump,” Jorge said, referring to President-elect Donald Trump’s promise of mass deportations. ” he said.
President Trump’s campaign promise to eliminate up to 12 million illegal immigrants has sparked fear, especially among the millions of people who have lived in the United States for years, built careers, and formed communities and families. It is causing widespread anxiety. After his election victory last November, Trump discussed using the U.S. military to enforce his deportation plan and even considered declaring a national emergency if necessary.
For activists like Jorge, who live and work closely with immigrant communities, this promise has become a palpable fear. Watch the latest Close Up episode, “Trump’s Deportation Nation,” to see how community members like Jorge are preparing for the possibility of mass deportation.
Director: Taimi Arvidsson
Producer: Leo Hamelin
Director of photography: Daniel Vergara
Additional cameras: Eric Arthur Fernandez, Nick Midwig
Screenplay: Tierney Bonini
Editor: Antonia Perello, Catherine Hallinan
Executive producer: Tierney Bonini
Senior Editor: Donald Cameron