69. What Is Life When You Leave the US and Become United Stateless?

The 20th-century novelist Thomas Wolfe famously pronounced that “you can’t go home again.” But what if you have little choice?

This is what a number of Latino immigrants, who have long made their home in the US, face when immigration laws require that they return to their country of birth.

ALEXANDRA RIVERA’S UNITED STATELESS

Alexandra Rivera, a Mexican American, has made it her calling to report on this group of returnees, as she calls them, whom most of us rarely hear about.

But her reporting is not about a group of immigrants. Rather, it’s the story of individuals, one unique and compelling story at a time, in the podcast she created called United Stateless. Individuals like Adriana, and Alex, and Jair, whose names become the title of their episode. Yes: this podcast is personal.

In this episode of the America the Bilingual podcast, Alexandra relays how an Uber driver in Mexico City startled her into realizing that these were important stories to be told. And even though she is a US citizen, she has faced her own challenges in balancing life in America as a Latina. She understands how important it is to find your place in wherever you may choose to—or have to—call home.

HEAR THE STORY

Listen on Apple Podcasts here: America the Bilingual by Steve Leveen; on Spotify; or wherever you tune in to your podcasts.

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CREDITS

Thanks to members of the America the Bilingual Project team for this episode: Fernando Hernández, the writer for this episode, and his production house in Guadalajara, Mexico Esto No Es Radio, which provides sound design and mixing; Mim Harrison, editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual Project,; and Karla Hernandez at Daruma Tech, who manages our website.

Meet the entire America the Bilingual team—including our bark-lingual mascot, Chet—here.

Music in this episode, in sequence: Monplaisir, Sane; Kevin MacLeod, Quasimotion; Monplaisir, J A; Pictures of the Floating World, Nomadic; Soft and Furious, When the Blood Driving the Self and Superconnected Sleep; and Little Glass Men, Golden.

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