In a surprising trend, thousands of Americans have begun to flee the United States, seeking refuge in neighboring Mexico due to President Donald Trump’s divisive policies and rhetoric.
According to estimates from the Association of Americans Resident Overseas, around one-fifth of the more than five million US citizens living abroad call Mexico home. This number has been steadily growing since Trump took office in January 2021, with many citing his anti-immigration and anti-woke policies as a major reason for their decision.
Among those who have made the move are Oscar Gomez, a 55-year-old business consultant from San Francisco; Tiffany Nicole, a tax consultant from Chicago; Lee Jimenez, a yoga instructor from New York; and Jessica James, also known as “JJ,” who works for a fishing company in Mexico.
For Gomez, Trump’s election was the final straw. Despite not being directly targeted by the president’s immigration comments, he felt personally affected by them as a Latino. He saw his income dwindle after Trump canceled diversity programs, he had contracts with, and decided to make the reverse trip from San Francisco to Mexico with seven suitcases and his dog.
“I take those anti-immigration comments personally,” Gomez said. “I think of my parents, who made the journey north from Mexico in search of a better life more than 60 years ago.”
Nicole, who has been living in Mexico City for several years, was considering returning to Chicago after the police killing of George Floyd in 2020. However, Trump’s victory made her rethink her plan.
“As a Black person, you don’t feel safe,” Nicole said. “We’re actually going backwards in America… The American dream now is based on a capitalistic view and not on a community view.”
Jimenez, who identifies as Afro-Latino and gay, accused Trump of fabricating stories and criticizing him for canceling policies and programs for the LGBT community.
“The US is not the country that it once was,” Jimenez said. “The American dream no longer exists… Being Afro-Latino, being Dominican, being gay means attacks from all parts.”
James, who was born in San Diego to a Mexican mother, also cited Trump’s presidency as the reason she has lost her desire to live in the United States.
“I don’t have any incentive to go back, and I feel a big reason is because of what’s going on in the US,” James said. “There is a lot more tension between people, and that is amplified with him (Trump) being president.”
As the divide between the two countries grows, it remains to be seen whether this trend will continue or if the United States can find its way back to a more inclusive and welcoming society.
Source: France 24
