Immigration

She Came to the U.S. at 4 Months Old. She Had To Self-Deport—Because She Came Here Legally.

"Documented Dreamers" arrived in America lawfully as children. A hole in the law leaves them vulnerable to expulsion.

Billy Binion | 7.10.2026 4:16 PM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google

Media Contact & Reprint Requests

(Adani Samat/ChatGPT)

Naturalization ceremonies on the Fourth of July are singularly joyous occasions. New members are officially inducted into the American project on the day that celebrates that very thing. So what is a July 4 self-deportation?

Patricia Rojas, 25, found out this month, when she moved to Mexico. Like many immigrants, she had wanted to stay in the United States. Unlike many immigrants, however, she had lived in America legally since she was 4 months old and has never known another country as home.

Rojas is, in other words, a "Dreamer," the nickname given to those who came to the........

© Reason.com