TIJUANA —
In her first moments back in Mexico after more than 30 years away, Dulce Garcia laughed at how easily she was able to cross south.
It was a moment that Garcia thought would not be possible. It was also a moment she feared.
Garcia, 38, has lived most of her life as an undocumented immigrant in the United States. Under normal circumstances, if she went to Mexico, she would not be able to return to her home in San Diego.
Because she came to the United States at age 4, she was able to enroll in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program that allows young undocumented immigrants to get two-year renewable work permits and temporary protection from deportation. And, because Garcia is an immigration attorney and the executive director of the nonprofit Border Angels, she was able to convince the U.S. government that she needed to do work in Tijuana.