When people talk about the repercussions of ICE raids, the story we most often hear is the heartbreak of family separation. Karla Meza Cruz centers a different — and less visible — reality: families who choose to stay together by leaving the United States.
She knows this transborder life firsthand. Years ago, Cruz moved from Arizona to Tijuana after her mother's husband was deported. Her childhood became an ongoing education in culture shock, grief and the slow work of acclimating to a new routine across a border.
In this piece, Cruz weaves her own experience together with those of others going through that same transition, tracing what it means to rebuild a sense of safety, identity and belonging.
This piece is part of "Resilience in the Age of ICE," a series of podcasts and essays produced by students at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and published by Golden State. Visit golden-state.org/USCproject for more.
