What it costs to leave the U.S.

As the immigration crackdown intensifies in the United States, some undocumented people are choosing to leave the country. But what’s the cost of leaving? For Dreamers brought here as children, it’s about more than just money.

This week, Reema Khrais talks to an undocumented college student who is considering leaving the U.S., along with immigration attorney Michael Foote, and advocate Monsy Hernandez, who left the U.S. almost ten years ago.

For Hernandez, leaving was worth the cost. “I really wanted to go somewhere where I was not going to be hated for being Mexican,” they recall. “I thought if I just go somewhere where no one knows that I'm Mexican, then I won't be followed by this anymore, and Germany was far away enough.”

Today Hernandez works with Onward, a support group for undocumented people in the U.S. who are considering leaving — people like Javi (not his real name), a college student in California studying business, who told us that he’s willing to pay the price of leaving. “I might not get paid the same amount that I would've gotten paid here with my degree, but that's besides the point,” Javi says. “I think peace of mind is the better option.”

Attorney Michael Foote is hearing from clients in detention who are tired of fighting to stay in the U.S. “I have a client right now who we sort of are at a crossroads,” he tells Khrais. “We're looking at however long it takes to maybe win a habeas petition or possibly self-deporting and going back to a country where their life is at risk.”

A few takeaways from this episode:

• Many undocumented people who are departing the U.S. won’t be able to return for ten years, if at all. Entry into the U.S. is left up to the discretion of Customs and Border Patrol, so the ability to return isn’t guaranteed even after ten years.

• If you’re considering leaving the U.S., organizations like Onward provide toolkits with resources and information.

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