In brief
Amidst fears of separation from her children and alarming stories from immigrant communities, Yessica Rojas flees the U.S. with her two children, joining others who have left under the current administration.
Yessica Rojas, a 29-year-old Venezuelan mother, made the heart-rending decision to leave Missouri this spring with her two children, Yessiel and Kenyerly, in search of safety and a better future. This choice arose after hearing chilling accounts of Venezuelan mothers, similar to her, who faced deportation while their children were kept in American foster care. Such stories, often shared across social media, spurred her growing fears about losing her kids. "I just don’t think it’s worth it anymore," Rojas explained, highlighting her anxiety over the potential separation from her children. Her concerns were not unfounded; earlier this year, a two-year-old named Antonella was placed in foster care after her mother was deported back to Venezuela. Luckily, Antonella has since been reunited with her family, but her situation left many mothers like Rojas shaken.After less than two years in the United States, Rojas left Branson, Missouri, anticipating that her fears would become reality. The Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policies and a promise of financial incentives for those who chose to "self-deport" have caused many within immigrant communities to reconsider their futures in the U.S. Although the exact number of those who have left the United States since Trump began his second term remains unclear, reports indicate that approximately 65 individuals left on a recent flight to Colombia and Honduras. Similar stories of voluntary departures from various parts of the country have begun to surface, painting a picture of a widespread exodus motivated by fear.
