Deported to Mexico: How 'Little LA' Helps After ICE Removal

Since January 2025, the Trump administration has deported roughly 145,500 Mexican nationals — and for many of them, the hardest part came after landing. Christopher Gil Ortíz left Mexico as a child more than 30 years ago. In June 2026, ICE agents stopped him on his way to work in Los Angeles, handcuffed him, and put him in detention. Weeks later, he was back in a country he barely remembered, without his wife and two young children.

Ortíz ended up in Mexico City's Tabacalera neighborhood — a stretch of wide avenues, palm trees, and bilingual call centers that locals have nicknamed "Little LA." The area has quietly become a landing pad for deportees who spent most of their lives in the US and feel like strangers in Mexico. Organizations like New Comienzos (New Beginnings) offer legal support, free English certification, emotional counseling, and job placement to recent arrivals. Israel Concha, who founded New Comienzos after his own deportation in 2014, says the need is only growing. "The atmosphere right now is one of humanitarian crisis and panic," Concha said. "You'll probably start seeing mass deportations in a few months."

What deportation actually looks like on the ground

Concha's own story shows how fast things can unravel. In 2014, he was stopped for speeding in Texas. After two years fighting his case in detention, he was deported. On his first day back in Mexico, a criminal gang kidnapped and beat him. He eventually found work at a bilingual call center in Tabacalera and started New Comienzos less than a year later. Sergio Aaron Pérez, 36, was deported in 2011 after living in California for more than 30 years. He found steady work in Little LA's call centers. "If you speak English there's a lot of money," he said. Ortíz is taking a different path — he applied for a factory job similar to what he did in the US, and his next goal is bringing his family to Mexico.

Mexico's government reported that 271,193 Mexican nationals were returned from the US between January 20, 2025, and August 13, 2026. Concha says his organization is preparing for that number to keep rising. For people caught in removal proceedings, knowing what rights exist before deportation happens can make a real difference.

What to do

• If ICE stops you, you have the right to remain silent and the right to speak with an attorney before answering questions. Do not sign any documents without legal advice — signing can waive your right to a hearing.
• If you are placed in removal proceedings, you may request an immigration court hearing. At that hearing, you can present defenses such as asylum, cancellation of removal, or other forms of relief — consult an immigration lawyer to find out which apply to your situation.
• If you have US citizen children or a spouse with legal status, tell your attorney immediately. Family ties can be a factor in certain forms of relief from deportation.
• If you are already in Mexico after deportation and need support, organizations like New Comienzos in Mexico City's Tabacalera neighborhood offer legal guidance, job help, and emotional support for returnees.

What to do, step by step — see our guide “Deportation Defense”.