From LA to Mexico City: A Self-Deportation Journey

0:00On March 24th, Abel Ortiz spent 38 years in Los Angeles after his parents brought him from Mexico as a baby. Undocumented in facing growing fear from immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, he chose to leave last August, packing just a few. Bags and heading overland to Tijuana before flying to Mexico City was started as a personal decision made him part of a larger trend of so-called self deportations amid heightened ice activity nationwide. Filmmakers who knew him from his hair salon in LA captured his emotional farewell in a short guardian documentary showing his final drives through. Familiar streets and the relief of crossing the border. Seven months later, he settled into a new routine, but the shift has brought both freedom and challenges. In Mexico City, Ortiz feels a sense of belonging for the first time, surrounded by people who look like him and no longer watching over his shoulder. For evidence. As a gay stylist, he landed a job at a trendy salon in the Roma district, serving mostly

1:00American clients and embracing the city's vibrant culture. From street tacos to blooming Jacarandas, yet the adjustment hits hard. He grapples with rusty Spanish, getting called a foreigner daily and misses his best friend and thriving business back home. Experts describe this disorientation as common among attorneys, a mix of grief and identity questions that has left him feeling depressed at times, even skipping the gym he loved. Ortiz sees his move as a second chance to redefine himself, planning trips like one to Barcelona soon, while letting go of resentment toward his old, life in America.