After years of hardship in pursuit of a better life, a Venezuelan woman named Deisy is leaving the United States and returning to the very country she once fled — all because living in constant fear of deportation has become too much to bear.
The 37-year-old mother of three, who asked that her last name remain undisclosed for safety reasons, said she’s giving up everything: her job, community ties, and the future she had hoped to build in the U.S.
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“What I thought was a dream has turned into a nightmare,” she said. “The situation is total chaos. Who wants to be arrested in a country that is not theirs?”
Deisy, a Chicago resident, is one of many undocumented immigrants choosing self-deportation amid a sweeping immigration crackdown under former President Donald Trump, who returned to office in 2024 and renewed efforts to drastically expand deportations.
Fear Drives the Decision
With asylum still pending, Deisy is haunted by the possibility of being picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). That fear became real when a coworker — also awaiting asylum — was recently detained. And with Trump’s administration moving to strip protections granted under President Biden, including Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans, her husband and children are also at risk.
“We live in fear that we will be stopped on the street,” Deisy said. “We don’t want to be deported to a jail with criminals, where they treat us all as if we were members of Tren de Aragua.”
ICE has already arrested and deported hundreds of Venezuelans, with some reportedly sent — handcuffed and without hearings — to a notorious prison in El Salvador, accused without proof of ties to the violent Tren de Aragua gang.
From Struggle to Survival
Deisy first came to the U.S. in 2019 after a treacherous journey that began in Panama, where she had worked for six years. Forced by Venezuela’s collapsing economy to leave her children behind with her mother, she crossed the U.S.-Mexico border on foot and turned herself in to authorities.
Granted a court date, she was released and began her life in Chicago. With no English and little money, she worked demolition jobs and drove Uber to send money back home. Her children reunited with her in 2022, and she later married a fellow Venezuelan.
But growing fear has replaced the hope that brought her here.
Choosing Peace Over Uncertainty
Now, Deisy is taking matters into her own hands, even if it means returning to Venezuela’s economic instability and political repression under President Nicolás Maduro.
“Life in Venezuela is rough, but my husband and I do not seek to be rich,” she said. “I think I prefer peace and quiet, the stability of being at home. For us, peace of mind is priceless.”
Getting back home won’t be easy. Many Venezuelans, including Deisy, had their passports confiscated by U.S. immigration authorities. She’s working with a travel agency that specializes in helping migrants return — a business that has seen a 70% surge in demand since Trump reentered office.
Despite everything, Deisy is choosing dignity and peace over living in fear.
“Living like this is not living at all,” she said.
