This summer, nearly a million Mexicans living in the United States are heading home – at least for a few days. From Tijuana to Nuevo Laredo to Juarez, vehicles packed with luggage and small appliances, as well as SUVs filled with people, are making their way south to the cities and villages of their birth, where their parents and relatives still reside.
One such traveler is Jose Lucas Regiola from Colorado, who is visiting his hometown of Meoqui in Chihuahua, Mexico. “We’re coming from Colorado,” he said while waiting for a permit at a Mexican highway checkpoint south of Juarez. “We’re only staying for a week because of work. We came to spend Christmas and New Year’s Day over here, and now the summer.”
The influx of expatriates like Regiola has prompted the Mexican government to activate its nationwide Heroes Paisanos program. This initiative includes fully staffing checkpoints with customs and immigration officers, as well as surging police officers on highways, to assist travelers. A toll-free telephone number has also been set up for visitors to file complaints if they feel mistreated or were victims of extortion.
According to Mexican National Immigration Institute Regional Director Victor Manuel Martinez, the Heroes Paisanos program is “of vital importance” and will be in place until August 19. “Our countrymen come to visit their families, their roots, the place where they were born and where they grew up,” he said at a news conference in Nogales last week. “They may now be living in the United States, but their remittances are vital to our economy.”
It is estimated that 1.9 million Mexicans visited from the United States between March and August last year, with another million expected for the year-end holidays. There are an estimated 37.2 million Hispanics of Mexican ancestry living in the U.S., according to Pew Research Center.
The Mexico-born group regularly sends money to family members in Mexico and visits the homeland often. Their remittances, along with those from others elsewhere in the world, totaled $63.3 billion in 2023, according to BBVA bank.
In recent years, safety on Mexican roads has become a concern for some expatriates. Some have reported waiting at the border before proceeding south or traveling in daylight and maintaining constant telephone contact with relatives they’re visiting.
Despite these concerns, many feel safe due to their knowledge of the territory and the measures taken by the government. “We already spent a night here and all was good,” said Rocky, a traveler from Utah. “I have to go back to work but me, my niece, my brother, and my in-laws come once in a while.”
The Mexican government has also put together a visitor’s guide available for download and an app for iPhones and Android phones. Visitors can call 01-800-201-8542 if still in Mexico or 1-877-210-9469 if back in the United States to voice complaints.
Source: ABC 27
