An undocumented migrant who voluntarily returned to Mexico after spending his entire life in Los Angeles has shared that he harbors no regrets about his decision, as it allowed him to reconnect with his heritage.
Hector Alessandro Negrete, now 43, relocated to the United States with his family at the tender age of three. He remained unaware of his undocumented status until he began the process of applying to colleges.
Faced with numerous obstacles and bureaucratic hurdles in his quest for citizenship, Negrete ultimately chose to return to Mexico to escape the constant anxiety of potential deportation.
Negrete interprets his decision not as ‘self-deportation’ but rather as ‘self-repatriation,’ emphasizing his return to his homeland.
“I refuse to use this administration’s terminology,” he expressed to the Los Angeles Times.
During Donald Trump’s presidency, there were strong calls for undocumented immigrants to leave voluntarily or face being apprehended and forcibly expelled in a broad effort to enforce immigration laws.
Negrete announced his decision to leave the US in his Substack, penning a ‘Love Letter to LA,’ the city he’s called home for his entire life.
‘Today, I share with you a deeply personal decision, one that stems not from defeat, but from healing, hope, and reclamation,’ he wrote.
Hector Alessandro Negrete, 43, decided to self-deport to Mexico after living in Los Angeles for over 40 years
Negrete shared that he’s calling his move ‘self-repatriation,’ the act of returning someone to their own country
Negrete decided to move to Guadalajara (pictured in file photo) instead of await deportation
‘After over 40 years of living in Los Angeles, a city that shaped me, strengthened me, and loved me back, I’ve decided to repatriate politically back to Mexico.
‘But let me be absolutely clear: this is not goodbye to LA, but rather a rebirth for me, and hopefully for some of you too.’
Negrete decided to leave the country a month into Trump beginning his second term, after years of advocating for immigration reform, even helping a young woman get released from immigration detention when Kamala Harris was attorney general.
Negrete was active in community politics and served as the first openly undocumented and LGBTQ+ person on the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council.
He told the publication that he was hired in June at a nonprofit that allowed him to live wherever he wanted.
He started the role over the summer while he moved, and will continue working there from Guadalajara.
Negrete’s friends made a trip out of the bittersweet situation, driving to the border and flying out of Tijuana.
On his move-out day, Negrete started a new Instagram account to document his journey, sharing a photo of himself at the border.
Negrete moved to the US as a baby, but didn’t learn that he was undocumented until he started applying for college
Negrete’s father stopped helping him with his path to immigration when he came out as gay and wasn’t eligible for DACA as an adult
‘I’m thrilled to share that I’m embarking on a new journey back to Mexico after self-repatriating!’ he captioned the photo.
‘This adventure fills me with joy and anticipation, and I can’t wait to explore my roots, reconnect with my culture, and share the experiences along the way.’
In a separate post, Negrete shared a video compilation of his send-off from Los Angeles, calling the decision to leave a difficult one but ‘a celebration of choice.’
‘I’m a lucky to say my first couple days in the motherland have been a whirlwind of emotions but also a beautiful homecoming,’ he added.
Negrete revealed he never became a citizen because his father was unsupportive of his sexuality and refused to help him with his immigration papers when he was a teenager.
By the time he had mended the relationship with his parents, he was already 21 and was no longer eligible for the pathway.
Negrete attempted again after the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was established, but wasn’t eligible because of a driving while under the influence charge.
He got the record expunged, but it still kept him from qualifying for immigration relief.
Negrete said called the move an ‘adventure’ that filled him with ‘joy’ and ‘anticipation’
Negrete packed up his life and took a road trip with his friends to the border as he said goodbye to his life in Los Angeles
Negrete is one of 1.6 million undocumented migrants in the US who have self-deported since Trump assumed office (file photo)
Undocumented migrants have been forced to reconcile with moving back to their home countries amid Trump’s hardline immigration policies.
A pastor in Texas, Albert Oliveira, told his congregation earlier this month that his family would be self-deporting back to Brazil.
Oliveira was legally in the country on a temporary religious visa, but due to backlogs in employment-based visa processing, he realized he wouldn’t be able to renew his status before it expires on November 15.
Negrete and Oliveira are two of 1.6 million undocumented migrants in the US who have self-deported since Trump assumed office, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
