Told to “Self-Deport” by Mistake: When the System Gets It Wrong
By Rodney Feliciano AI created image I magine getting a letter in the mail that says you’re being deported or log into an app. You’ve lived here for years. You work hard, pay your taxes, and your kids go to school down the street. But suddenly, the system tells you, you don’t belong. It sounds like something that shouldn’t happen, but it does. For many in our Hispanic communities, especially those with complicated immigration histories or mixed-status families, the threat of deportation isn’t always about criminal acts or undocumented status. Sometimes, it’s about clerical errors, outdated systems, or agencies not talking to each other. And when the system gets it wrong, people’s lives are flipped upside down. When the Paperwork Doesn’t Match the Person O ne of the biggest issues is how immigration enforcement can misinterpret records. Maybe someone was born in the U.S., but their name appears on an outdated list. Or maybe someone applied for citizenship and it’s pend...