Influencers rake in the cash after being deported from Trump's America and sharing their misery online

Daily Mail​

10 hours ago

A trio of Mexican citizens, all of whom were forced to leave the United States, have become social media sensations by documenting their lives after deportation.
Through the viral success of their videos on TikTok, Annie Garcia, Francisco Hernández-Corona, and Olga Mijangos are now earning a living through the app's Creator Rewards Program.
The three regularly meet to create content together, blending personal stories with candid portrayals of the difficulties they face.
Annie Garcia
Garcia, 35, was deported from the U.S. in 2017. She arrived in Mexico with just $40, a criminal record for financial crimes committed in her 20s, and the trauma of being separated from her five children.
She has since rebuilt her life in Puerto Vallarta, where she posts content under hashtags like #LifeAfterDeportation to more than 574,000 followers. Her videos mix lifestyle clips - such as boat rides on the Pacific - with candid accounts of detention and survival.
She tells her audience that deportation gave her a second chance: 'Your criminal record doesn't follow you here… You can pursue higher education. Any debts you had in the U.S. do not follow you here.'
Garcia has also spoken openly about her turbulent childhood: 'I was taken from my mother at the age of 12 because I had behavioral issues. I was separated from my family, and I grew up with other juveniles with behavior (problems),' she told USA Today.
While she says deportation has given her a clean slate, the trauma remains: 'It's very, very triggering to me to see what's going on up there. It's a bittersweet feeling. I feel safe. I feel relief. We're here. It doesn't affect us any more. But it feels heartbreaking to see other families living through it.'
She has explained her motivation for speaking out: 'When I first started sharing my story my idea was, 'Maybe if I talk about this, things will change.' … This is what is going to change things one day: us putting our stories out there.'
Her platform has grown large enough to provide part of her income. She now earns through TikTok's monetization program, while also conducting research on reintegration for an American university and pursuing a law degree in Mexico.
Francisco Hernández-Corona
Hernández-Corona, a clinical psychologist in his early 30s, graduated from Harvard University in 2013 after a childhood marked by trauma. He testified against his abusive father in court, lost his mother to medical negligence while in high school, and was later adopted by a teacher.
At age 12, he crossed the desert on foot to enter the U.S. illegally with his family. He later received temporary protection under DACA, which allowed him to study and work legally.
Despite being married to a U.S. citizen, his immigration case stalled for more than a decade. Because of his illegal entry as a minor, he was permanently barred from adjusting his status inside the U.S.
In 2025, fearing detention during Donald Trump's deportation campaign, Hernández-Corona chose to self-deport with his husband. He moved to Puerto Vallarta and began posting on TikTok under the handle @ciscoinmx, where he now has 31,400 followers.
Most of his videos draw 4,000–20,000 views, but one three-part series about leaving the U.S. went viral with 2.5 million views. That series alone earned him thousands of dollars through the Creator Rewards Program.
In his posts, he stresses the emotional cost of starting over: 'Self-deporting isn't always freedom and joy and new adventures. Sometimes it's pain and nostalgia and anger and sadness. Sometimes you just miss the home that was.'
He also reflects on his conflicted identity: 'I'm very proud to be Mexican, and I'm learning to love a country I didn't get to grow up in, but I shouldn't have had to leave the home I knew to find peace and freedom. This isn't a blessing. It's resilience.'
Olga Mijangos
Mijangos, 33, was deported from Las Vegas on December 24, 2024, after being charged with a DUI. She returned to the small town in Oaxaca she had left at age five.
There, she began sharing clips of rural life - goats in the streets, rodeos, and traditional food preparation - while working her first job in Mexico harvesting cucumbers for 300 pesos a day (about $15).
'I clearly understand why my mother decided to take us when we were little. Life in the pueblo is not easy,' she told followers in a video of her harvesting cucumbers. 'There is hard-living. There is poverty.'
She has also described the judgment she faced on her return: 'Did I feel a lot of judgment? Absolutely. Even though it's my roots, I basically came from a different world. I have tattoos. I lived my life a certain way that they don't. I could feel people talking.'
Her videos quickly gained traction. A post about sending her U.S.-born son to school in Mexico went viral with 14 million views and 2 million likes.
The success led TikTok to invite her into its Creator Rewards Program, where she now earns from her content.