1 00:00:00,760 --> 00:00:05,200 Speaker 1: O La Latino USA listener, Gomo Tuta, So today we're 2 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:09,320 Speaker 1: gonna shure an episode from Imperfect Paradise A Return to Mexico, 3 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:13,120 Speaker 1: a show by our colleagues over at LAist. The show 4 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 1: tells the story of Danielle Samora, who remade his life 5 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:21,599 Speaker 1: after being deported from the US to Mexico. Throughout the series, 6 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:24,960 Speaker 1: we'll learn about Danielle's journey from the time he spent 7 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:29,040 Speaker 1: as a teenager without his parents in Rio Blanco and 8 00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:32,960 Speaker 1: then coming of age in Los Angeles and Iowa, and 9 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:37,639 Speaker 1: finally focusing in on his current life Insula Juarez as 10 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 1: a retornado or returnee. Hosted by reporter Lorenardos, the show 11 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:49,240 Speaker 1: dissects the narratives around deportation as failure and the alternate 12 00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:54,560 Speaker 1: lives that immigrants leave behind and construct anew Here's episode 13 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:59,960 Speaker 1: one of Imperfect Paradise Return to Mexico and dear listener, 14 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 1: there is talk of suicide ideation in this episode, so 15 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:04,399 Speaker 1: please take care. 16 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:08,880 Speaker 2: Back in twenty twenty one, reporter Lorena Rios traveled to 17 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:12,080 Speaker 2: Suda Juarez to meet up with a man named Danielle 18 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:14,240 Speaker 2: Samora in a small cafe. 19 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:20,399 Speaker 3: And the place is tiny a super cozy, a little 20 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:25,800 Speaker 3: bit dark, so Danielle and I sat by the window 21 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:27,559 Speaker 3: so that we could get a little bit of light. 22 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:33,679 Speaker 3: I wanted to meet Danielle because he's a returnado or returnee. 23 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 2: A returney can be someone who either by force or 24 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:41,040 Speaker 2: by choice, goes back to their country of origin after 25 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:44,680 Speaker 2: being a migrant somewhere else. This is a global concept, 26 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 2: but in this case, Lorena was interested in how return 27 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:51,520 Speaker 2: migration happens for Mexican migrants between the US and Mexico. 28 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:56,600 Speaker 3: I was interested in the return ye community from a 29 00:01:56,720 --> 00:02:00,480 Speaker 3: journalistic standpoint, But once I met Danielle and I started 30 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:05,200 Speaker 3: asking questions, I realized that the questions that I had 31 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:09,120 Speaker 3: for him were questions that I had about my own 32 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:11,800 Speaker 3: experience of return. 33 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 2: In d Nielle's story, Lorena heard echoes of her own. 34 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:18,960 Speaker 2: Lorena grew up in Monterrey, Mexico, until she was seventeen. 35 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:22,240 Speaker 2: For economic reasons, her family had to move to Texas 36 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:24,840 Speaker 2: in two thousand and seven. She would go to college 37 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:27,720 Speaker 2: in the States and then grad school where she pursued journalism, 38 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 2: but eventually, at the age of twenty eight, for a 39 00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:33,920 Speaker 2: complicated mix of reasons, she would find herself back in 40 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:35,960 Speaker 2: Mexico for me. 41 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 3: Ever, since I came back to Mexico five years ago, 42 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:44,920 Speaker 3: I felt disconnected from my home country, from my hometown, 43 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:49,000 Speaker 3: and unsure about where I want to be and my 44 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 3: relationship to Mexico. 45 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:54,799 Speaker 2: So in that cafe in Juarez back in twenty twenty one, 46 00:02:55,080 --> 00:03:01,160 Speaker 2: Lorena was wrapped by d Nill's story. In a lot 47 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 2: of narratives about immigration, there is an underlying message that 48 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:08,280 Speaker 2: migrants come to the US because life is better here, 49 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 2: that it's more economically comfortable, more fulfilling, more free. But 50 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:16,040 Speaker 2: Danian's story questions that assumption. 51 00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:20,840 Speaker 3: Can you describe your relationship to Sua Quarees? 52 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:26,119 Speaker 4: Once I accepted my reality, I came to understand that 53 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:27,680 Speaker 4: beauty was wrong around me. 54 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:31,640 Speaker 2: Danian's story spans from the cornfields of Iowa to the 55 00:03:31,639 --> 00:03:35,760 Speaker 2: call centers of Guadis to the Eiffel Tower, Paris, France. 56 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:38,960 Speaker 2: It's about what it's like to leave everything you know 57 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:41,840 Speaker 2: and come back to a place that doesn't feel like home, 58 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:46,760 Speaker 2: and it all starts with a love story. This is 59 00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 2: episode one of Imperfect Paradise Returned to Mexico. Lorenarios takes 60 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 2: it from here. 61 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:09,440 Speaker 3: It was two thousand and eight and Daniel Samora had 62 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:13,840 Speaker 3: just graduated with an art degree from Grennell College in Iowa. 63 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:19,080 Speaker 3: The look was buzz cut, graphic tees and Chuck Taylor's. 64 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:22,640 Speaker 3: His plan was to move home to la and get 65 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:26,160 Speaker 3: a job, but his car had other ideas. 66 00:04:26,839 --> 00:04:30,440 Speaker 4: My jip had some transmission problem. I was able to 67 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 4: go forward, but not back. I knew that I would 68 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:35,440 Speaker 4: have to stay a couple of more days. 69 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:39,720 Speaker 3: So Danielle took his car to the shop, and while 70 00:04:39,760 --> 00:04:42,280 Speaker 3: waiting for it to be fixed, he went out. 71 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:48,680 Speaker 4: A friend invited me over to go to a bar 72 00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:51,839 Speaker 4: in De Moin. We went to a gate bar called 73 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:57,719 Speaker 4: the Blazing Saturn. I was outside of the bar smoking 74 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:00,680 Speaker 4: and I met A Rick Miller. 75 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:06,920 Speaker 5: It was nighttime. I think we're in the parking lot area, 76 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:10,760 Speaker 5: and I guess is romantic as that sounds, and I 77 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:15,160 Speaker 5: thought he was the most handsome guy, an outgoing type 78 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 5: of a people person. 79 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:21,719 Speaker 4: Eric is these very handsome men from Michigan. He had 80 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:24,919 Speaker 4: this more like nerdy look, the little button down shirt, 81 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:29,200 Speaker 4: as white as he can get, blue eyes, gorgeous smile, 82 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:30,719 Speaker 4: trovit blonde. 83 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:33,920 Speaker 5: So I just had the courage and just want to 84 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:34,840 Speaker 5: start talking to him. 85 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:39,480 Speaker 3: Daniel's version is slightly different. 86 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:42,719 Speaker 4: A friend of Eric came over to me and he 87 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:46,880 Speaker 4: told me, hey, my friend thinks you're cute. And I 88 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:50,000 Speaker 4: looked over to him and I'm like, well, tell him 89 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:53,040 Speaker 4: to tell me so right. I've always thought that if 90 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 4: you want to say something, say it to someone right. 91 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:57,920 Speaker 4: Doesn't send someone else to do your dirty work. 92 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:02,000 Speaker 5: I mean, very well. Could have happened. Like I said, 93 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:03,279 Speaker 5: it was a long time ago. 94 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:08,920 Speaker 4: We went back inside, we danced a little bit and 95 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:17,240 Speaker 4: we kissed. Perhaps it was they dancing and you know, 96 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:20,360 Speaker 4: all this smoke. I don't know, but every single piece 97 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:21,640 Speaker 4: fell in the right place. 98 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:25,200 Speaker 6: And that was it. 99 00:06:26,279 --> 00:06:31,520 Speaker 3: Daniel's car got fixed, but he'd be staying in Iowa 100 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:35,760 Speaker 3: with Eric. Un Less than two months after meeting that night, 101 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:40,680 Speaker 3: they moved in together. In the next two years, Danielle 102 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:44,080 Speaker 3: and Eric built their lives as a couple. They got 103 00:06:44,080 --> 00:06:47,680 Speaker 3: a calico kitten and named her Bibi, decided to move 104 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:52,520 Speaker 3: to Austin, Texas, found jobs, made friends, and settled into 105 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:57,680 Speaker 3: the daily rhythms of life. Daniel liked imagining his American 106 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:01,040 Speaker 3: life with Eric, stretching into the future. 107 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:04,240 Speaker 4: He would come home and there would be apple pie baked, 108 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:08,039 Speaker 4: and that would be with him until we growled. He 109 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:10,960 Speaker 4: made me feel safe, and I knew that as long 110 00:07:10,960 --> 00:07:13,840 Speaker 4: as I was with him, I would be okay. I 111 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:19,400 Speaker 4: almost forgot where I had come from. I was living 112 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:29,720 Speaker 4: in a bubble, and the bubble felt really nice. 113 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:34,960 Speaker 3: One summer weekend in twenty eleven, Daniel and Eric decided 114 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:38,280 Speaker 3: to go on a getaway to visit friends on South 115 00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:41,920 Speaker 3: Padre Island, a resort town in Texas. 116 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:45,480 Speaker 5: It was a gravel road, It was kind of dusty, 117 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 5: it was hot, very humid. I think they were just 118 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:53,080 Speaker 5: kind of like large open spaces, like maybe ranches. Everything 119 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:54,640 Speaker 5: was kind of like light green. 120 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:59,840 Speaker 4: I was laying down, the music was playing. He was 121 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:02,080 Speaker 4: I mean, I didn't have a care in the world. 122 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:05,600 Speaker 4: I was just waiting for us to get to the beach. 123 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:09,680 Speaker 4: I woke up because the road was feeling kind of bumpy. 124 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:13,880 Speaker 4: So I remember waking up, opening my eyes and the 125 00:08:14,040 --> 00:08:17,280 Speaker 4: first thing that I saw was that we were kind 126 00:08:17,280 --> 00:08:20,240 Speaker 4: of in the middle of the bushes. We were on 127 00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:26,600 Speaker 4: a dirt road, and I asked Derek, what are we doing? 128 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:30,160 Speaker 4: Where are we going? I said, Oh, I just want 129 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:31,000 Speaker 4: to see the wall. 130 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:41,360 Speaker 3: The wall, the artificial boundary that separates the us from Mexico. 131 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:44,360 Speaker 6: For Eric, it was a curiosity. 132 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:48,439 Speaker 5: I was kind of interested, you know, the border and 133 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:51,400 Speaker 5: the river and seeing what it was like, and I 134 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:54,120 Speaker 5: was like, Oh, let's go on this road. I remember 135 00:08:54,160 --> 00:08:58,480 Speaker 5: seeing the wall, big iron slats, and I think they 136 00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:01,760 Speaker 5: were constructed on such a that you couldn't squeeze through them. 137 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:05,120 Speaker 5: He could feel a little bit through them, but the. 138 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:08,360 Speaker 3: Wall meant something very different to Danielle. 139 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:11,800 Speaker 4: I felt like the time stood still for a second. 140 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:20,760 Speaker 4: I felt afraid. 141 00:09:21,920 --> 00:09:25,960 Speaker 3: Daniel had crossed into the US at sixteen without papers. 142 00:09:26,400 --> 00:09:29,640 Speaker 3: His parents had worked with a lawyer to get documentation 143 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:33,600 Speaker 3: for the family. Danielle says, as far as he knew, 144 00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:35,560 Speaker 3: the process was still moving along. 145 00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:38,640 Speaker 6: He and Eric didn't talk. 146 00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:45,040 Speaker 3: About it, so Eric had no idea that Danielle was undocumented. 147 00:09:46,760 --> 00:09:50,840 Speaker 3: As they drove, they realized they weren't alone on the road. 148 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:58,960 Speaker 4: And suddenly all of these border patrol trucks start showing 149 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 4: up parks in front of us, and two more pull 150 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:07,920 Speaker 4: up behind us. I kept on telling myself that everything 151 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:10,080 Speaker 4: was going to be fine. Eric told me that everything 152 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:12,640 Speaker 4: was going to be fine. It was a routine check. 153 00:10:15,280 --> 00:10:18,280 Speaker 3: The officers asked Danielle and Eric what they were doing there, 154 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:22,360 Speaker 3: asked them to show their ideas. Danielle says he wasn't 155 00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:26,720 Speaker 3: given a reason for why they'd been pulled over. Normally, 156 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:31,160 Speaker 3: the Fourth Amendment protects you from arbitrary searches and seizures, 157 00:10:31,520 --> 00:10:35,920 Speaker 3: but because of national security justifications, within one hundred miles 158 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:42,640 Speaker 3: of the border, those rules don't apply. The officers focused 159 00:10:42,679 --> 00:10:44,439 Speaker 3: their attention on Danielle. 160 00:10:45,679 --> 00:10:49,479 Speaker 4: The police officers starting struggling a little bit with my identity. 161 00:10:49,559 --> 00:10:51,959 Speaker 4: They started going back and forth to figure out who 162 00:10:51,960 --> 00:10:55,040 Speaker 4: I was, and they kept on pressuring me, telling me 163 00:10:55,160 --> 00:10:57,720 Speaker 4: that I had just crossed the border, and I kept 164 00:10:57,720 --> 00:10:58,439 Speaker 4: on telling them no. 165 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:03,200 Speaker 3: Officers told Danielle that they couldn't find him in the 166 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:05,720 Speaker 3: system and that he had to go with them to 167 00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:06,320 Speaker 3: the station. 168 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:08,840 Speaker 6: Eric was confused. 169 00:11:09,679 --> 00:11:12,800 Speaker 5: I thought maybe there was some sort of a some 170 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:13,720 Speaker 5: sort of a mistake. 171 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:19,000 Speaker 4: I was told to face the car and put my 172 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:22,880 Speaker 4: hands behind my back. I was handcuffed, and as I 173 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:30,000 Speaker 4: was being led to the border patrol truck, I just 174 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:33,079 Speaker 4: looked back and I saw Eric, and I wanted to 175 00:11:33,120 --> 00:11:39,559 Speaker 4: say something, and I couldn't. I just remember that my heart. 176 00:11:39,480 --> 00:12:07,079 Speaker 3: Stopped in that arid stretch of South Texas. Danielle says 177 00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:10,679 Speaker 3: he was handcuffed by border patrol and driven to an 178 00:12:10,679 --> 00:12:15,840 Speaker 3: immigration processing office in McAllen. Danielle says he was asked 179 00:12:15,840 --> 00:12:18,280 Speaker 3: to sit at a big, semi circular desk. 180 00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:20,439 Speaker 6: The desk was a fake. 181 00:12:20,280 --> 00:12:24,319 Speaker 3: Yellow wood color, and behind it, Danielle could see holding 182 00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:29,720 Speaker 3: cells with people in them. Across the desk, various officers 183 00:12:29,840 --> 00:12:33,400 Speaker 3: were typing away trying to find records of him in 184 00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:34,240 Speaker 3: the database. 185 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:36,959 Speaker 4: They kept on going back and forth, back and forth, 186 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:40,880 Speaker 4: back and forth, until an officer to him, like, you 187 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:44,560 Speaker 4: know what, I can't find anything. This other officer came 188 00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:46,880 Speaker 4: back and he said, like, let me have a go. 189 00:12:48,040 --> 00:12:52,280 Speaker 3: Daniil remembers waiting for an hour, sitting on a cold 190 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:56,880 Speaker 3: concrete bench until eventually, he says, one of the officers 191 00:12:56,920 --> 00:12:59,959 Speaker 3: looked up and told daniel that he'd found a room 192 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:07,559 Speaker 3: move order against them, meaning he could be deported. Daniel 193 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:12,240 Speaker 3: was confused. He knew he was undocumented, but he thought 194 00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:15,160 Speaker 3: he was on track to being documented in some way. 195 00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:18,200 Speaker 6: But at the border processing. 196 00:13:17,679 --> 00:13:21,839 Speaker 3: Center, Daniel found out this was not true. 197 00:13:22,200 --> 00:13:23,000 Speaker 6: According to a. 198 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:26,480 Speaker 3: Document we got from the Board of Immigration Appeals, his 199 00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:29,680 Speaker 3: parents had lost their case back around two thousand and four. 200 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:34,000 Speaker 3: The family had been put under a deportation order, but 201 00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:39,280 Speaker 3: they did not leave the US. Danielle says he didn't 202 00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:42,400 Speaker 3: know about it, and his parents didn't talk. 203 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:46,200 Speaker 6: To us for this story. But this deportation order. 204 00:13:46,480 --> 00:13:49,320 Speaker 3: That's what must have shown up in the database. 205 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:52,360 Speaker 6: At the station. 206 00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:57,320 Speaker 3: Danielle was anxious, and as the gravity of the situation 207 00:13:57,800 --> 00:14:04,600 Speaker 3: started to sink in, he was presented with two impossible options. 208 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:07,840 Speaker 4: When they told me that I would have to be 209 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:11,200 Speaker 4: removed from the country, and I told him, like, well, 210 00:14:11,280 --> 00:14:14,120 Speaker 4: you know, can I call a lawyer? And they said 211 00:14:14,280 --> 00:14:18,480 Speaker 4: very clearly, now, like you have two choices. You can 212 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:23,080 Speaker 4: either stay in jail until an immigration judge can see you, 213 00:14:23,280 --> 00:14:25,520 Speaker 4: but that can take months and I'll make sure that 214 00:14:25,560 --> 00:14:31,440 Speaker 4: it takes a long time. Or I could leave and 215 00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:33,040 Speaker 4: I could apply for re entry. 216 00:14:34,560 --> 00:14:37,160 Speaker 3: We tracked down a lawyer who would end up helping 217 00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:41,920 Speaker 3: Danielle pro bono, and she explained it this way. Basically, 218 00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:46,320 Speaker 3: Danielle was in a loose, loose situation. He could either 219 00:14:46,480 --> 00:14:48,840 Speaker 3: be put in the attention and wait for a court 220 00:14:48,920 --> 00:14:51,440 Speaker 3: date or be deported. 221 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:56,720 Speaker 4: I foolishly thought that I would be able to come 222 00:14:56,760 --> 00:15:00,320 Speaker 4: back as soon as I said for the Medica kind 223 00:15:00,320 --> 00:15:03,080 Speaker 4: of be able to reapply for ranger in the US 224 00:15:03,520 --> 00:15:05,240 Speaker 4: or within a couple of years, you know, and I 225 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:07,600 Speaker 4: would be reunited with my family once again. 226 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:18,720 Speaker 3: At the office in South Texas, Danielle was alone, no lawyers, 227 00:15:19,080 --> 00:15:23,200 Speaker 3: no parents, and no information about his rights or how 228 00:15:23,240 --> 00:15:28,840 Speaker 3: the immigration legal system even worked, which researchers and lawyers 229 00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:33,840 Speaker 3: say is not uncommon in these types of situations. Danielle 230 00:15:34,040 --> 00:15:37,920 Speaker 3: was conflicted, and he was being pressured to make a 231 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:39,320 Speaker 3: decision quickly. 232 00:15:40,400 --> 00:15:44,240 Speaker 4: I have this picture in my head of trying to 233 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:47,960 Speaker 4: put a house together made out of rocks, but there's 234 00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:51,080 Speaker 4: no mortar or there's no glue holding the rocks together, 235 00:15:51,840 --> 00:15:54,680 Speaker 4: and then suddenly you are putting the last rock up, 236 00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:58,400 Speaker 4: and everything looks fine and it looks beautiful, but suddenly 237 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:01,920 Speaker 4: it just fonts and there's nothing you can do to 238 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:05,480 Speaker 4: stop it because there's no clue and nothing is holding 239 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:06,000 Speaker 4: it together. 240 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:33,880 Speaker 3: The first rock that made up Danielle's American life was 241 00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:35,000 Speaker 3: Los Angeles. 242 00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:41,600 Speaker 4: I honestly think that my life started when I moved 243 00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:42,280 Speaker 4: to Ala. 244 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:46,480 Speaker 3: Danielle's parents had immigrated to the US from Mexico to 245 00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:50,160 Speaker 3: find work. They didn't have papers, and when he had 246 00:16:50,360 --> 00:16:54,640 Speaker 3: just turned sixteen, Danielle says he joined them, crossing by 247 00:16:54,720 --> 00:16:57,880 Speaker 3: himself with a coyote. As soon as he got to 248 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:02,040 Speaker 3: Los Angeles, he threw himself into his new life and 249 00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:04,560 Speaker 3: the American teenager experience. 250 00:17:06,320 --> 00:17:09,080 Speaker 4: I took the Metro for the first time. My mom 251 00:17:09,119 --> 00:17:12,320 Speaker 4: took me down to Los Co Johones in LA right 252 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:15,800 Speaker 4: the Allies in Fashion District, and we would go to 253 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:18,160 Speaker 4: the ninety nine cent store and I had my first 254 00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:24,720 Speaker 4: McDonald's breakfast. LA felt like the most wonderful place on earth. 255 00:17:25,359 --> 00:17:29,160 Speaker 4: That's what I think Disney England feels like. To people 256 00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:32,600 Speaker 4: who visited, it felt welcoming. 257 00:17:33,560 --> 00:17:37,080 Speaker 3: You said you knew like two three phrases in English. 258 00:17:37,119 --> 00:17:38,840 Speaker 6: Do you remember what those were? 259 00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:44,920 Speaker 4: I actually do. Hello. My name is Danielle. I live 260 00:17:44,960 --> 00:17:48,640 Speaker 4: in Mexico. And I used to say, like, how much 261 00:17:48,720 --> 00:17:50,440 Speaker 4: is it? That's as much as I knew. 262 00:17:51,960 --> 00:17:55,680 Speaker 3: Danielle says he worked really hard to learn English so 263 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:57,200 Speaker 3: he could go back to school. 264 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:01,120 Speaker 4: I would come back home and I would literally sit 265 00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:05,600 Speaker 4: down with the newspaper, the La Times, and my dictionary 266 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:09,080 Speaker 4: and a notebook, so I would literally have to translate 267 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:13,240 Speaker 4: every single word in that newspaper. And I would do 268 00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:16,720 Speaker 4: that for one or two hours every day. As you 269 00:18:16,760 --> 00:18:20,760 Speaker 4: will learn from other migrants. We learned English and we 270 00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:24,320 Speaker 4: learn how to speak it very quickly, not because we 271 00:18:24,359 --> 00:18:25,879 Speaker 4: want to, but because we need to. 272 00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:31,120 Speaker 3: Daniel enrolled in high school as a freshman. He sent 273 00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:35,320 Speaker 3: us some photos of himself from this time, oversized teas 274 00:18:35,359 --> 00:18:40,479 Speaker 3: and jeans, white sketchers, races, and a livery copy of 275 00:18:40,520 --> 00:18:44,919 Speaker 3: Harry Potter. Daniel says he got good grades and he 276 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:49,040 Speaker 3: also started making friends, and he would end up finding 277 00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:53,719 Speaker 3: most of his friends in his favorite part of high school, theater. 278 00:18:57,040 --> 00:19:01,400 Speaker 3: He started learning all about vocal exercise and doing plas 279 00:19:01,400 --> 00:19:06,360 Speaker 3: after school. Daniel says that he wasn't really outgoing before, 280 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:10,000 Speaker 3: but being a part of the theater, being on the stage, 281 00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:13,480 Speaker 3: it made him more comfortable to be true to himself 282 00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:18,680 Speaker 3: and his sexuality. There's one moment in particular that felt 283 00:19:18,840 --> 00:19:22,280 Speaker 3: pivotal when he got cast in the musical. A funny 284 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:25,919 Speaker 3: thing happened on the way to the forum. There's a 285 00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:29,879 Speaker 3: scene where his character wears a dress, and Danielle remembers 286 00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:32,240 Speaker 3: looking for his mom in the audience. 287 00:19:33,119 --> 00:19:37,280 Speaker 4: I was wearing a dress and a wig, and I 288 00:19:37,320 --> 00:19:40,000 Speaker 4: walk out on stage and I look at my mom's 289 00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:44,000 Speaker 4: face and I was expecting to see shock. I was 290 00:19:44,080 --> 00:19:47,800 Speaker 4: expecting to see disappointment or something. I all I saw 291 00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:51,520 Speaker 4: was a smile on her face, and she started laughing 292 00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:55,439 Speaker 4: hysterically when she saw me like that, and everybody started 293 00:19:55,480 --> 00:20:02,600 Speaker 4: laughing hysterically. It felt wonderful. And when I started wearing 294 00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:10,400 Speaker 4: a rainbow belt rainbow bracelet, it was fine. No one 295 00:20:10,560 --> 00:20:14,760 Speaker 4: criticized me or ostracized me for being gay. I would 296 00:20:14,760 --> 00:20:18,560 Speaker 4: have never thought, living in Mexico that I could be 297 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:19,200 Speaker 4: that frame. 298 00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:31,679 Speaker 3: As high school came to an end, he had to 299 00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:36,680 Speaker 3: think about what came after, about college, and for the 300 00:20:36,720 --> 00:20:41,440 Speaker 3: first time, he says, his immigration status came up as 301 00:20:41,480 --> 00:20:42,640 Speaker 3: a real obstacle. 302 00:20:43,920 --> 00:20:46,520 Speaker 4: I knew the situation that I was in, and I 303 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:50,639 Speaker 4: knew what I couldn't have, and what I couldn't have 304 00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:52,359 Speaker 4: was the American dream. 305 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:55,960 Speaker 6: But why why couldn't you have that? 306 00:20:57,240 --> 00:21:03,639 Speaker 4: Because I needed to have more privileges that I wasn't 307 00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:08,239 Speaker 4: able to access. My dream at that point was just 308 00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:12,520 Speaker 4: to have an education, but I couldn't because I was 309 00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:15,320 Speaker 4: strapped by my resources. 310 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:20,560 Speaker 3: Because he was undocumented, he couldn't get federal financial aid. 311 00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:24,560 Speaker 3: He said his parents were not making enough money. 312 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:25,400 Speaker 6: To pay for college. 313 00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:29,000 Speaker 3: His dad worked at a warehouse and his mom worked 314 00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:34,560 Speaker 3: as a cleaner. But then Danielle's teachers nominated him for 315 00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:38,919 Speaker 3: a competitive scholarship, which pays for low income kids to 316 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:43,119 Speaker 3: go to top private colleges across the country, and Danielle, 317 00:21:43,160 --> 00:21:47,960 Speaker 3: with his good grades, charm and determination, got the scholarship. 318 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:50,840 Speaker 4: I felt like I could taste a little bit of 319 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:54,119 Speaker 4: like that American dream, that American life that some other 320 00:21:54,720 --> 00:21:56,520 Speaker 4: classmates were seeing. 321 00:21:57,119 --> 00:21:59,920 Speaker 3: And that's how Danielle ended up in Iowa. 322 00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:04,919 Speaker 4: When I got to the college, I felt like I 323 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:09,040 Speaker 4: was illegally blonde. When she walked into Harvard and she 324 00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:10,399 Speaker 4: sees these great holes. 325 00:22:11,840 --> 00:22:15,880 Speaker 3: Danielle went to Grennell College, a school of about fifteen 326 00:22:15,960 --> 00:22:19,200 Speaker 3: hundred students at the time, About a thousand of them 327 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:24,640 Speaker 3: were white, and only fifty five were Hispanic. Danielle says 328 00:22:24,760 --> 00:22:28,240 Speaker 3: he used his theater skills to make friends with everyone, 329 00:22:28,840 --> 00:22:31,320 Speaker 3: and he felt like the world opened up. 330 00:22:32,600 --> 00:22:36,080 Speaker 4: It was my first time actually interacting all the time 331 00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:40,600 Speaker 4: with people who had a life that was to a 332 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:45,880 Speaker 4: certain extent ful of privileges. Friends who vacations were in Aspen, 333 00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:48,560 Speaker 4: or who were going to Paris Fashion Week. 334 00:22:49,359 --> 00:22:52,520 Speaker 3: He decided to make the most of it. He studied 335 00:22:52,760 --> 00:22:59,320 Speaker 3: art and took all sorts of classes like sculpture, dance, painting, 336 00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:01,680 Speaker 3: print making, and photography. 337 00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:06,840 Speaker 4: I wanted to explore beauty, to actually explore every single 338 00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:10,800 Speaker 4: aspect of my life, of my body, of my perspective 339 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:13,280 Speaker 4: of the world, and put her on paper. 340 00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:18,280 Speaker 3: It all culminated in a solo art exhibit at his graduation. 341 00:23:19,359 --> 00:23:22,960 Speaker 3: Daniel's parents flew out and got to see the piece 342 00:23:23,080 --> 00:23:27,879 Speaker 3: he made called twelve Moons, a wedding dress that was 343 00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:31,040 Speaker 3: torn apart and coiled up to look like the moon. 344 00:23:31,840 --> 00:23:35,360 Speaker 3: It was dedicated to his mom, who had never had 345 00:23:35,359 --> 00:23:39,080 Speaker 3: a wedding, and it was accompanied by a poem. 346 00:23:39,080 --> 00:23:43,040 Speaker 4: And it's talking about how my mom I see her 347 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:45,040 Speaker 4: as a moon, that even though she's not with me 348 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:48,240 Speaker 4: or she's not close to me, I always keep her 349 00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:51,359 Speaker 4: in mind, in my heart, and whenever I need to, 350 00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:53,679 Speaker 4: I can reach out and I can see her there. 351 00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:57,480 Speaker 4: So it was very beautiful to have my parents there 352 00:23:57,480 --> 00:24:01,400 Speaker 4: and I I am for are grateful and they were 353 00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:04,760 Speaker 4: able to see in one stage and get that diploma. 354 00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:09,160 Speaker 3: Danielle finished school in two thousand and eight, the year 355 00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:17,600 Speaker 3: Obama became president. Danielle told us he canvassed for Barack Obama, 356 00:24:17,720 --> 00:24:21,679 Speaker 3: who was campaigning on what is still known as La Promessa. 357 00:24:21,840 --> 00:24:26,880 Speaker 3: Obama a promise to Latino voters that he delivered comprehensive 358 00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:33,240 Speaker 3: immigration reform, including a legal path for millions of undocumented 359 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:38,600 Speaker 3: immigrants in the US. While we work to strengthen our borders, 360 00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:41,600 Speaker 3: we need a practical solution for the problem of twelve 361 00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:44,280 Speaker 3: million people who were here without documentation, many of whom 362 00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:45,160 Speaker 3: have lived. 363 00:24:44,920 --> 00:24:45,919 Speaker 1: In work here for years. 364 00:24:46,640 --> 00:24:49,080 Speaker 5: That's why we need to offer those who are willing 365 00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:51,520 Speaker 5: to make amends a pathway to citizenship. 366 00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:55,280 Speaker 3: In a lot of ways, Danielle was graduating into a 367 00:24:55,359 --> 00:24:59,160 Speaker 3: landscape of optimism for immigrants in America. 368 00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:03,040 Speaker 1: I fought for you in the Senate, and I will 369 00:25:03,080 --> 00:25:05,360 Speaker 1: make it a top priority in my. 370 00:25:05,400 --> 00:25:08,800 Speaker 5: First year as President of the United States of America. 371 00:25:10,920 --> 00:25:13,840 Speaker 3: But all of that would soon sour. 372 00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:21,200 Speaker 4: Maybe my biggest disappointment was this Dream Act book. 373 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:25,520 Speaker 3: By the time that Danielle was driving along the Texas 374 00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:29,600 Speaker 3: border with Eric in twenty eleven, there had been no 375 00:25:29,760 --> 00:25:34,760 Speaker 3: comprehensive immigration reform. The Dream Act, which aimed to grant 376 00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:38,520 Speaker 3: legal status to young people brought by their parents without 377 00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:43,080 Speaker 3: papers to the US, failed to pass Congress. It was 378 00:25:43,119 --> 00:25:47,240 Speaker 3: a bill meant to protect people like Danielle who had 379 00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:50,920 Speaker 3: spent their formative years in the US and who felt 380 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:57,480 Speaker 3: America was their home. In twenty twelve, President Obama established 381 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:01,920 Speaker 3: the Third Action for Childhood or RIDE or DACA through 382 00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:04,600 Speaker 3: executive action, but it would be too. 383 00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:05,720 Speaker 6: Late for Danielle. 384 00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:10,360 Speaker 3: La Promessa did not come to pass, but enforcement did 385 00:26:10,480 --> 00:26:15,960 Speaker 3: ramp up as Obama faced criticism from border hawks, expansions 386 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:21,560 Speaker 3: of ICE, border Patrol and CVP, and record numbers of 387 00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:25,800 Speaker 3: deportations every year of Obama's first term. 388 00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:31,119 Speaker 1: We have more of everyone, ice, border patrol, surveillance, you 389 00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:31,560 Speaker 1: name it. 390 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:36,479 Speaker 6: For us. This president has been the deporter in chief. 391 00:26:36,760 --> 00:26:39,920 Speaker 4: The majority of the deportations seventy two percent were migrants 392 00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:40,560 Speaker 4: from Mexico. 393 00:26:40,800 --> 00:26:45,119 Speaker 1: Removals immigrants formally expelled and barred from returning, have risen 394 00:26:45,119 --> 00:26:46,280 Speaker 1: to an all time high. 395 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:53,040 Speaker 3: Under the Obama administration. Nearly three million people were deported 396 00:26:53,080 --> 00:26:58,280 Speaker 3: from the US, and Danielle was about to become one 397 00:26:58,320 --> 00:27:14,080 Speaker 3: of them. At the Border Patrol station, daniel spent five 398 00:27:14,320 --> 00:27:18,040 Speaker 3: hours trying to figure out what to do, whether he 399 00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:21,800 Speaker 3: wanted to risk spending months in a detention center. 400 00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:25,440 Speaker 4: I just felt like I wasn't going to be able 401 00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:29,480 Speaker 4: to make it in jail, regardless of whatever happened. I mean, 402 00:27:29,880 --> 00:27:33,520 Speaker 4: jail was going to be worse than coming back to Mexico. 403 00:27:34,119 --> 00:27:36,800 Speaker 4: So I asked him if I could call Eric. They 404 00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:39,760 Speaker 4: said yes. I called him and I let him know 405 00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:44,200 Speaker 4: that I had decided that the best thing to do was. 406 00:27:45,640 --> 00:27:46,480 Speaker 6: To be deported. 407 00:27:47,560 --> 00:27:52,760 Speaker 3: Daniel decided to go through with the deportation process, but 408 00:27:52,920 --> 00:27:55,760 Speaker 3: he couldn't totally escape detention. 409 00:27:56,560 --> 00:27:57,040 Speaker 6: He says. 410 00:27:57,119 --> 00:28:02,679 Speaker 3: Officers processed him into a cell. 411 00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:08,400 Speaker 4: I was told to undress, I got the uniform, and 412 00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:12,320 Speaker 4: then I was told to wait. When I was going 413 00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:16,359 Speaker 4: to the prison facility where I was held, I noticed 414 00:28:16,400 --> 00:28:18,440 Speaker 4: that all the men that I was in the cell 415 00:28:18,560 --> 00:28:24,120 Speaker 4: with were either barefoot or they had shoes without laces 416 00:28:24,119 --> 00:28:28,119 Speaker 4: on them. I was feeling shame because I felt like 417 00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:32,000 Speaker 4: I had let my parents down, that all the time 418 00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:34,680 Speaker 4: spent at school, all the money that they had put 419 00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:40,680 Speaker 4: into my education, was all being wasted. I just sat 420 00:28:40,760 --> 00:28:45,080 Speaker 4: down on a corner and I was really really cold, 421 00:28:45,120 --> 00:28:48,920 Speaker 4: and I was hungry, and I didn't know what time 422 00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:49,360 Speaker 4: it was. 423 00:28:50,520 --> 00:28:54,600 Speaker 3: He thinks he was in there for about five days, 424 00:28:54,920 --> 00:28:56,840 Speaker 3: but he has trouble remembering. 425 00:28:57,440 --> 00:29:00,360 Speaker 6: It was all a blur, and like. 426 00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:08,400 Speaker 4: I was sparalleling down and it got progressively worse. I 427 00:29:08,440 --> 00:29:13,320 Speaker 4: started feeling like my life had no meaning. I felt 428 00:29:13,360 --> 00:29:17,320 Speaker 4: like I had lost everything. When you were in this 429 00:29:17,520 --> 00:29:24,400 Speaker 4: moment of despair, you think about the craziest things that 430 00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:28,880 Speaker 4: you know that you could easily, you know, make it 431 00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:35,560 Speaker 4: all end with the sheets that you have there, with 432 00:29:35,680 --> 00:29:36,760 Speaker 4: the metal sinc. 433 00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:45,800 Speaker 3: Finally, an officer handed him his clothes and told him 434 00:29:45,840 --> 00:29:46,880 Speaker 3: it was time to go. 435 00:29:48,040 --> 00:29:53,560 Speaker 4: We were driven at night to an airport and I 436 00:29:53,600 --> 00:29:58,120 Speaker 4: saw this huge airplane and I saw how they started 437 00:29:58,160 --> 00:30:01,280 Speaker 4: loading up the busses of pe pole they started loading 438 00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:08,960 Speaker 4: up the plane. I had those chains that have handcuffs 439 00:30:09,520 --> 00:30:14,440 Speaker 4: on your wrist and on your ankles, and it was 440 00:30:14,800 --> 00:30:19,440 Speaker 4: really hard to walk up those metal stairs and to 441 00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:24,200 Speaker 4: get on the plane. And they're cold, and the night 442 00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:27,120 Speaker 4: fell cold, and I was angry. 443 00:30:28,960 --> 00:30:32,760 Speaker 3: Danielle says he was flown from Texas to Yuma, Arizona, 444 00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:38,640 Speaker 3: then rode a bus along the US Mexico border. He 445 00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:42,600 Speaker 3: remembers looking out the window at the rusted metal wall 446 00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:46,240 Speaker 3: and thinking how it could have been an installation by 447 00:30:46,280 --> 00:30:50,440 Speaker 3: the artist Richard Serra. In a strange twist of faith. 448 00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:55,000 Speaker 3: Danielle was briefly back in California, where his parents lived. 449 00:30:55,920 --> 00:31:00,640 Speaker 3: The Boss took him across the Calexico Bridge to Mexicali, Mexico. 450 00:31:01,560 --> 00:31:06,160 Speaker 3: He remembers seeing the Mexican flag waving in the air. 451 00:31:06,640 --> 00:31:12,560 Speaker 4: I wanted to turn around because I felt like I 452 00:31:12,640 --> 00:31:16,160 Speaker 4: didn't belong in Mexico. I was being brought back to 453 00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:20,040 Speaker 4: a place that saw me be born, but no longer 454 00:31:20,040 --> 00:31:28,360 Speaker 4: felt like home. And if home is where your heart is, 455 00:31:30,760 --> 00:31:36,400 Speaker 4: my heart was in Texas and I was heartless. 456 00:31:38,320 --> 00:31:42,800 Speaker 3: There's this particular moment Danielle remembers from the bus ride 457 00:31:43,360 --> 00:31:46,360 Speaker 3: when the guards turned on the radio. 458 00:31:46,640 --> 00:31:49,680 Speaker 4: The one song that stuck with me as I saw 459 00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:55,000 Speaker 4: the Mexican border coming up was Sila Greens Fuck You. 460 00:31:55,200 --> 00:31:57,880 Speaker 6: I don't know the song, how does the song look? 461 00:31:59,080 --> 00:31:59,240 Speaker 2: So? 462 00:31:59,360 --> 00:32:03,200 Speaker 4: The song said, as you've been writing around with the girl, 463 00:32:03,240 --> 00:32:06,080 Speaker 4: I love that You've been doing your best, but now 464 00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:07,680 Speaker 4: she's with someone else. 465 00:32:11,600 --> 00:32:11,880 Speaker 3: Life. 466 00:32:12,120 --> 00:32:18,680 Speaker 4: Forget you. That phrase, forget you, I felt it down 467 00:32:18,880 --> 00:32:33,600 Speaker 4: in my heart as a goodbye song from me to America. 468 00:32:33,840 --> 00:32:50,080 Speaker 2: Forget lorinar Rios is the lead reporter of Imperfect Paradise, 469 00:32:50,160 --> 00:32:53,760 Speaker 2: Return to Mexico, coming up what it takes to get 470 00:32:53,800 --> 00:32:57,280 Speaker 2: to the US physically and emotionally. 471 00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:01,240 Speaker 4: And I was starting to feel the stroke coming and 472 00:33:01,280 --> 00:33:04,160 Speaker 4: we start running, and I have no idea where. 473 00:33:03,920 --> 00:33:06,920 Speaker 2: We were what it means to be ripped from your 474 00:33:06,920 --> 00:33:08,400 Speaker 2: home and the people you love. 475 00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:12,360 Speaker 4: When I finally saw him pull up on the street 476 00:33:12,400 --> 00:33:15,400 Speaker 4: where I was living, I didn't know whether to kiss 477 00:33:15,480 --> 00:33:15,959 Speaker 4: him or not. 478 00:33:16,800 --> 00:33:19,920 Speaker 2: This story is about transition, and. 479 00:33:19,760 --> 00:33:23,440 Speaker 4: I started having this weird struggle within the Mexican part 480 00:33:23,480 --> 00:33:26,760 Speaker 4: that has this beautiful freedom that can go anywhere, or 481 00:33:27,280 --> 00:33:29,320 Speaker 4: the American one that wants to come back. And it's 482 00:33:29,360 --> 00:33:33,280 Speaker 4: always like longing for something that he no longer has. 483 00:33:34,600 --> 00:33:37,320 Speaker 2: How Daniel found a sense of home in the middle 484 00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:47,160 Speaker 2: of all that uncertainty and reclaimed his homeland. This episode 485 00:33:47,240 --> 00:33:50,760 Speaker 2: of Imperfect Paradise Returned to Mexico was written and reported 486 00:33:50,760 --> 00:33:54,480 Speaker 2: by Lorenard rios Co, writing by Natalie Schatovski, who is 487 00:33:54,520 --> 00:33:57,640 Speaker 2: also the senior producer of the show. I'm the show's host, 488 00:33:57,640 --> 00:34:01,600 Speaker 2: Antonia Sadahido. Catherine Milhouse is the executive producer of the show, 489 00:34:01,640 --> 00:34:04,960 Speaker 2: and Shane and Naomi Crockmell is our vice president of Podcasts. 490 00:34:05,480 --> 00:34:09,520 Speaker 2: Our producer and sound designer is Emma Alabaster. Our editor 491 00:34:09,600 --> 00:34:15,080 Speaker 2: is Sofia Baisakhar. Our editorial consultant is Leslie Beersteindrochas. Jens 492 00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:19,080 Speaker 2: Campbell is our production coordinator. Fact checking by Caitlin Antonio's, 493 00:34:19,560 --> 00:34:23,240 Speaker 2: mixing by E. Scott Kelly, and additional engineering by Donald Poz. 494 00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:27,040 Speaker 2: Special thanks to the Professor's researchers and lawyers we talk 495 00:34:27,120 --> 00:34:32,160 Speaker 2: to for our reporting, including David Shirk, Nil's Frienzen, Jody Seizmer, 496 00:34:32,400 --> 00:34:35,560 Speaker 2: and Tobin Hansen. If you, or anyone you know has 497 00:34:35,560 --> 00:34:38,480 Speaker 2: been having suicidal thoughts, you can call the twenty four 498 00:34:38,480 --> 00:34:42,520 Speaker 2: hour Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at nine eight eight. This 499 00:34:42,640 --> 00:34:45,919 Speaker 2: podcast is powered by listeners like you. Support the show 500 00:34:45,960 --> 00:34:49,799 Speaker 2: by donating now at las dot com slash Join. This 501 00:34:49,880 --> 00:34:53,120 Speaker 2: podcast is supported by Gordon and Donna Crawford, who believe 502 00:34:53,239 --> 00:34:56,560 Speaker 2: quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.