In January, Alberto Salagan found himself in Mexico for the first time since infancy, after he was deported from the United States.
Originally from Acapulco, his family moved him to the US when he was just six months old.
Raised in California, Alberto became caught up in gang culture, drawn in by its apparent allure.
Following his arrest in San Diego on gang-related charges, his deportation coincided with the early days of President Trump’s administration, leaving him isolated and destitute in his native country.
“It was a shock. It still is,” he confesses. “Arriving in Mexico, I felt truly lost. No family, no food, no clothes, nothing at all.”
Alberto admits he nearly lost his ability to communicate in Spanish. “Fortunately, I didn’t forget entirely, and being bilingual has really helped,” he reflects.
His language proficiency proved pivotal. Connected through a deportee aid group, Alberto learned of a job opening for English speakers at a local business, EZ Call Center.
Though the work as a telephone sales agent offers modest base pay, commissions and a regular paycheck provided the stability he needed.
“I had to take steps to regain my footing, and thanks to the call centre, I have,” he shares between calls.
Nearly all staff at EZ Call Center are deportees, including owner Daniel Ruiz.
Daniel, like Alberto, was born in Mexico, relocated to the US as a child, and was deported for a minor drug offense in his early twenties. He understands the disorientation facing returnees.
“We’re all living with culture shock,” he acknowledges amid the steady background of calls.
“We have our lives and education in the US, family there. We belong to both countries.”
Agents spend hours working US call lists: some conduct marketing or sales, others work in debt collection or refinancing.
Fluent in English, they often go unnoticed by clients in the US, who have little idea their calls originate from Mexico.
Daniel notes that employees like Alberto—those who fell into gangs in the US but seek a new direction in Mexico—are among his most reliable team members.
“They rarely reoffend, and show the discipline required for steady employment,” he explains.
His own post-deportation journey has shaped Ruiz’s business philosophy.
Besides running the call center, he co-founded the Borderline Crisis Center, a nonprofit offering food, shelter, and support for deportees newly arrived in Mexico.
After his inauguration, President Trump pledged what he called “the largest deportation in American history.”
He has advocated for the removal of millions of undocumented immigrants, and early in his term, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted widespread raids.
Mexican humanitarian groups, including Borderline Crisis Center, prepared for a major wave of returnees.
To date, however, this surge has yet to materialise. Border facilities remain manageable, and migrant shelters in Tijuana are not currently overwhelmed.
According to the latest Mexican government data, deportations from the US to Mexico were actually lower during the first quarter of Trump’s second term compared to the previous year.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reported that from February to April, Mexico received almost 39,000 deportees—33,000 of whom were Mexican—down from 52,000 in the same period of 2024.
Part of this decline stems from fewer attempted border crossings. Encounters along the US southern border with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have reached their lowest levels in years.
A combination of mass deportation threats, increased border security, and publicity around migrant removals to El Salvador likely contributed to changing migration patterns.
At the same time, the Trump administration has intensified messaging on self-deportation for undocumented immigrants.
Nevertheless, daily influxes of deportees continue to arrive in Tijuana, many facing social exclusion as they adapt to life in the city.
Companies offering legitimate employment to deportees play a crucial role in preventing a return to illicit activities.
Beyond smaller operations like EZ Call Center, larger employers such as the American Survey Company (ASC) also rely heavily on deportee workers.
Together with its affiliate Voxcentrix, ASC operates around 550 call center workstations in Tijuana, engaging agents on projects ranging from political polling to customer surveys.
“What happened in the US stays in the US,” says Nora Diaz, ASC’s chief happiness officer. “We don’t really pursue background checks for that.”
Diaz emphasises her commitment to staff wellbeing and fostering reintegration.
“We recognise that everyone has a history, and we do not judge them for it. Our process focuses on language skills and willingness to work,” she notes.
This pragmatic attitude proved invaluable for Luis Luna as he started anew.
Luis was raised in Orange County, California, after arriving in the US as a young child.
“As a kid, I made mistakes: joined a gang, mixed with the wrong people. It cost me dearly; I served a life sentence in California,” he recounts.
While incarcerated, he pursued every educational and rehabilitation programme available. On his release, he too was deported to Mexico at the start of Trump’s term.
Now in his 50s and marked by gang tattoos, Luis understood few chances remained.
“I have no family here. My family is ASC, my coworkers—they have become my support system.”
For Luis, work in the call centre has offered structure and a crucial break from his past, a lifeline not all former gang members manage to find after release in the US.
“From the start I felt no judgement. They welcomed me. Without ASC, I think I’d be homeless,” he says.
While the scale of mass deportations has yet to match expectations in Mexico, many anticipate operations may expand in the near future.
Should this occur, individuals like Alberto and Luis—regardless of their backgrounds—will need comprehensive support to rebuild their lives.
For many returnees in Tijuana, that pathway will begin at a call centre desk.
Mahdawi was detained in mid-April while attending a US citizenship interview in Vermont.
BBC Verify examines the claims regarding the Salvadoran individual who was reportedly misidentified and deported to a high-security prison as a gang member.
The expansion in staffing comes as the coffee chain continues to experience a decline in sales.
The Southeast Asian nation is making significant economic strides, but escalating US-China trade tensions could impact its progress.
Featured below is a curated selection of responses from our staff writers and correspondents.