Where are the families profiled in the Netflix docu-series, Living Undocumented, today? Many of them are still living in the United States, and some of them had to leave the country and return home. One couple moved to Canada and obtained legal citizenship there, instead of returning to Mexico.
There are eight families profiled in the series, which was executive produced by Selena Gomez.
Here’s what you need to know about where those families are in 2019:
Alejandra Juarez Was Deported to Mexico & Is Living There With Her Daughter, Estrella
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Alejandra Juarez is a military wife and mother of two who is originally from Mexico and came to America in 1998. She then went on to marry a former Marine and have two daughters. At the time of filming, her oldest daughter Pamela was 16 years old, and her younger daughter Estrella was 9 years old. She went undetected for several years until her undocumented status was revealed during a routine traffic stop in 2013, she says. She was required to check in regularly with ICE for five years. Then, after Trump was elected, she was selected for deportation.
Despite several appeals, and the introduction of a private bill by a Florida congressman, Juarez was deported to Mexico in early 2019. She lives there with Estrella.
During the filming of the series, Juarez said she used to have nightmares about returning to Mexico. Once her deportation schedule was confirmed, she said, “[I realize now] they weren’t nightmares. They were messages from god to prepare me from what’s coming.”
Roberto Dunoyer Was Deported to Colombia in August 2019; The Rest of the Dunoyer Family Are Still in San Diego
The Dunoyer family came to America in 2002 amid fear of persecution from their home country of Colombia. When their visa expired in 2005, they applied for asylum; this application was denied in 2008, because their claims of persecution were private and not “100% political.”
The Dunoyer family’s story is one of the only ones that had media attention prior to the Netflix series. Sons Camilo and Pablo Dunoyer, who both came to the United States as toddlers, made pleas on Twitter for people to understand their family’s plight.
Roberto Dunoyer, the patriarch of the family, was deported to Colombia in August 2019. The rest of his family remains in San Diego, waiting to hear what will happen. Roberto had previously said to Netflix that his worst-case scenario was being separated from his family, and that a deportation to Colombia would be the equivalent of a death sentence.
Eddie Fernandez & His Husband, Tyler Thom Live in Canada
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Eddie Fernandez and Tyler Thom were legally married in the United States. However, because of an immigration law dating back to the Clinton era, Fernandez will never be able to receive permanent U.S. citizenship.
Thom explained that this has to do with the way Fernandez entered the country as a 14-year-old. He flew into the U.S., Thom explained, which means that he was likely required to provide some sort of paperwork. And because he might have lied about being a legal citizen, he is now permanently barred from ever being given citizenship.
Instead of going back to Mexico, Thom and Fernandez applied for citizenship in Canada. They now live as legal Canadian citizens in the city of Toronto.
Amadou Sow Was Spared Immediate Deportation in 2019; He Is Awaiting Further Notice
Netflix
Amadou Sow came to America from the African country of Mauritania 30 years ago. He has been living and working in America on a work visa, according to Fox 19. In August 2018, Sou had a check-in appointment with ICE and was taken into custody indefinitely. He was held for several months, and was about to be boarded onto a flight back to Mauritania when he refused.
Awa, Sow’s daughter, told Netflix that she thinks he was granted a stay of deportation because he refused to consent to getting on the flight, and flights are not legally allowed to force someone aboard.
To Fox19, Awa said that the experience has been “daunting.” She added, “You’re so used to having somebody there and then they are not around you. It’s hard cause you’re always acutely aware there’s a space in your heart.”
Vinny Phankaysay Was Approved to Live in America For Another Year; He Lives in North Carolina
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Vinny Phankaysay came from Laos as a political refugee with his family in 1986. He was given permanent residency, due to their fears of political persecution. However, Phankaysay was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2002 for drug trafficking. When he was released in in 2013, his permanent residency was revoked.
During the Netflix series, Phankaysay and his wife, Sedalia, talked about the very real fear of having to move back to Laos with their young baby. Sedalia said at one point, “The idea of having to uproot our family to Laos is very surreal.”
However, at the time of filming, Phankaysay was granted another year’s stay in the United States from ICE. He and his wife are still living in North Carolina. He said of the news, “Spiritually, I am at peace…but there’s still an uncertainty as long as I’m living here in this country. So I’m basically not truly free.”
Ron & His Family Still Live Undetected by ICE
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Ron and his family are the only ones in the Netflix series who still live undetected by ICE. As a result, their last names are withheld for their safety. Ron and his wife Karen are originally from Israel; his daughter, Bar, was awarded DACA status and a work permit for being born in the United States in 2017.
Ron pays taxes on his business and home using a tax ID number. His brother is a legal U.S. citizen and lives in Miami. Ron said to Netflix, “It’s not only about my personal story. It’s about this country that can benefit…[from] using these people to bring more to the country. There’s a lot of people like me that can bring so much more if they get treated as a human being.”
Bar said of the experience of constantly living in fear that her parents will be deported, “We are here literally for the betterment of our family and to live a more stable and safe life. We were never here to do something bad to anyone.”
Luis Diaz Is Awaiting an Answer on His Asylum Request With His Girlfriend, Kenia, Her Son, Noah, and Their Baby Daughter
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Luis Diaz is from Honduras; his girlfriend, Kenia, was arrested by ICE and slated for deportation. Kenia was pregnant with his child at the time. In the first few episodes, Diaz has to bring Kenia’s son, Noah, to the detention center where Kenia is. When he brings Noah, he is detained, too, and held in a detention facility for several months.
Though Diaz was eventually released, his girlfriend, Kenia was deported back to Honduras. Kenia then made the long journey back to the U.S., using a coyote to return with her son. Then, she, Diaz, and Noah turned themselves in, applying for asylum.
At the time filming wrapped, Kenia had just given birth to a baby girl, and the family was waiting for a decision on their asylum case. It’s not clear if they’ll be allowed to remain in the U.S., or if they’ll be deported.