Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025

Deported families at the border say they're shocked and confused

Deported families at the border say they're shocked and confused

Carlos Cocoy stands beside a group of migrants taking shelter under a bridge at the border as the hot sun beats down.

He and his son were just deported. Already, he's trying to figure out how to cross into the US again.

"I'm going to try to go back to the United States, because things are more difficult in Guatemala," he says. "I have five children I have to support."

Like many of the migrants who CNN has spoken with in recent days on the border, Cocoy seems stunned by the way US immigration authorities treated him.

His voice cracks as he describes how swiftly he was kicked out of the country where he'd hoped to find work to support his family. "They didn't let us through," he says, "and I have to get through."

Carlos Cocoy, left, says he will try to cross the Rio Grande again. Returning to Guatemala, he says, isn't an option.


On the US side of the border, we've seen crowded conditions in detention facilities and large groups of migrants at bus stations after families have been released from custody. But here, on the Mexican side, the scene is dramatically different. Stories like Cocoy's -- and confusion over which migrant families are allowed to stay in the United States and which families get kicked out -- are becoming more common.

While officials are letting unaccompanied minors into the United States to make their case for asylum, and letting some families deemed vulnerable cross, too, the Biden administration has said most adults and families are being expelled under the pandemic public health restrictions that remain in place along the border.


Some of those who are sent to Mexico are likely trying to cross again -- one factor that could be making the numbers of migrants apprehended at the border shoot up.

A few feet away from Cocoy, Samuel Antonio Sarmiento says he's also determined to go back across the border with his son and try again. He says the Biden administration's repeated comments that now is not the time for migrants to travel to the United States aren't convincing.

"I had to migrate because I was assaulted. ... The problem is he (President Joe Biden) doesn't know the situation you're in," Sarmiento says. "I'd rather die here than return to Honduras."

A US Customs and Border Protection agent leads a group of migrants being deported to Reynosa, Mexico, at the McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge.


Some deportees say they're shocked and heartbroken


Some migrants tell CNN they're shaken and still trying to sort out their next steps. Many are angry their journey into the US was cut short, worried because they have no place to stay in Mexico and confused because they thought things had changed since President Donald Trump left the White House.

"They (US border authorities) treated us very badly. They didn't even give us the chance to speak," says Ordelina de Leon Lopez. If she'd had a chance to make her case, de Leon says she would have told authorities that one of her daughters had been kidnapped in Guatemala and she fled the country after facing threats.

"The police there never helped me and I'm a single mother. I have three children to take care of," she adds. "I came here thinking that they were going to give me support. But we were surprised to find out, no, they rejected us."

Belinda de Dios Lopez says she's shaking and hasn't eaten in the days since her deportation because she has no money to buy food.

"Look at my body, how I'm shaking, because I've been here in the sun and I don't have money to buy food," Belinda de Dios Lopez says.


"I came because Mr. Biden said that he was going to give us for 100 days the opportunity to enter," she says. When informed that Biden actually said he would suspend deportations for 100 days, but had warned would-be migrants not to come to the US, she said the President should show more compassion.

"He should be more humanitarian," she says, "because we are all human and we need more humanity."

Carmen Julia sobs, saying she left Guatemala with her daughter in late February and turned herself into the Border Patrol as soon as she arrived in the United States because she was advised that would improve her chances to be allowed to stay in the US. Instead she says she was fingerprinted and returned to Mexico in less than 12 hours.

"I have nothing at home," she says, "no house, no job, no future."

Others say they're confused why some were allowed to stay in the US


Honduran Bene Ayala says he, his wife and his 7-year-old son were taken into custody by Border Patrol agents and promptly returned to Mexico. But others in a group he was traveling with were allowed to stay -- seemingly because their children were younger.

"It's unfair. We can see that 5-year-old children can cross with their parents, and 7-year-olds can't. But 7-year-olds are still children," he says.

US Customs and Border Protection says it's still operating under the public health order, known as Title 42, which allows for the removal of immigrants crossing the border to avoid the spread of Covid-19. The agency says migrant parents traveling with children are not exempt from the restrictions, regardless of the child's age.

When asked to clarify how the agency defines who is vulnerable and whether there's an age limit used in those determinations, a spokesman said he could not provide that kind of detail.

Deported migrants gathered under a bridge at the border, but were later ordered to leave by authorities.


White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki acknowledged Tuesday that more families are being let into the United States.

"It is largely an issue of Mexico not having the capacity to accept some of these families," she said. "These circumstances are limited. When they come, they are tested, they're quarantined as needed. But it's not a reflection or prediction of a change of policy."

Migrant families who are allowed to enter the United States face an uncertain journey. Their cases will make their way through immigration court and a judge ultimately will decide whether they can stay.

But for Ayala and other deported migrant families, the future is even murkier.

Like many migrants who CNN met at the border, Ayala says he left Honduras after two powerful hurricanes devastated the region last year. And while they expected the journey would not be easy, he says, they thought that once across the Rio Grande, they'd have a chance to stay.

"(Hurricane) Eta -- plus the pandemic -- left us with nothing," he says. "The situation is just as bad as it was when the storm hit. There's no improvement.

People don't have work. We want to go to work to help there."

For deported migrants, the future is uncertain


Instead, Ayala and other deportees are left wondering what to do. Mexican authorities recently ordered them to leave the area beside the border bridge, moving them to a city park a couple of blocks away.

Groups are gathering in makeshift encampments. Area shelters are overwhelmed with the large number of migrants arriving and are turning people away.

Other than a small gazebo, there is little shade to protect these migrants from the blistering sun. Food is provided by local churches a couple of times a day. There are no restrooms or additional aid of any type.

A gazebo in Reynosa, Mexico, is packed with migrants after authorities ordered them away from a bridge by the border.


It's unclear what help Mexican authorities may offer. On a national level, officials are facing increasing pressure from the Biden administration to step up immigration enforcement.

Here in this border state, Ricardo Calderon Macias of the Migrant Institute of Tamaulipas says officials are trying to work with the migrants to see who would prefer to go back to their country and who may be eligible to receive a humanitarian visa to stay in Mexico for 30 days.

These migrants say what they fear for the most is their safety -- and that their time is running out. Camps along the border in Mexico can be dangerous, and help is in short supply. Just an hour away from here, 16 Guatemalan migrants were killed in January in a massacre that was a devastating reminder of how perilous this journey can be.

"The fear is that they're going to do something to us," Ayala says. "Here, we have no one."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
×