It鈥檚 Tuesday afternoon, and Ferm铆n is waiting at the Tornado Bus station, located on Jefferson St. in the heart of Oak Cliff. He's trying to get home to Houston.
鈥淲hat is home?鈥� he said. 鈥淚 guess Houston is home now, since that鈥檚 where I have family and friends.鈥�
Ferm铆n, who said he is undocumented and didn鈥檛 want to use his last name, can鈥檛 go back to his native Mexico because of his immigration status. He鈥檚 here for his job and travels to places like Dallas and Chicago, working for a company that builds golf courses.
He said although he keeps on traveling within the U.S. for work, he feels a heightened sense of caution. He鈥檚 aware of President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 plans for mass deportation starting on day one of his second term. The uncertainty makes Ferm铆n anxious, but what choice does he have, he said. He said he fears people like him will be targeted.
鈥淭o be in this country, we have can鈥檛 commit any type of error, because that鈥檚 not going to help us,鈥� he said in Spanish. 鈥淲e must take care of ourselves to not be deported, because they can detain us for any little thing or any type of mistake 鈥� and that will give them an excuse to deport us immediately.鈥�
Ferm铆n was one of few people willing to go on the record to talk to 四虎影院. Other passengers at the Tornado Bus terminal said they don鈥檛 have a problem traveling because they have a visa to go to Mexico and return to the U.S.
Another traveler, an elderly man who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he doesn鈥檛 believe Trump will follow through with a mass deportation. 鈥淭hey need us,鈥� he said.
Round-trip tickets to Mexico continue to be sold at a steady pace, because this is a peak season for holiday travel, a Tornado ticket agent told 四虎影院. The Oak Cliff terminal takes passengers to cities in Texas and Mexico.
The agent spoke on condition of anonymity because she said she was on the clock. She said they鈥檙e not feeling any pushback yet from customers. She said people traveling to Mexico now are buying round trip tickets because they have the necessary documentation to travel.
Another ticket agent at Transportes San Miguel, also located in Oak Cliff, said that ticket sales remained steady for them and that she expected sales to increase within the next two weeks ahead of the holidays.
Noe Medina, 44, is originally from Honduras and travels for work as a painter. He was also at the Tornado Bus terminal Tuesday morning waiting to go to Houston. Like many immigrants from Honduras, he has Temporary Protected Status.
鈥淚鈥檓 not afraid,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 feel like everything is normal for me in this country.鈥�
He said other immigrants shouldn鈥檛 be afraid, either 鈥� as long as they have their paperwork in order.
鈥淚 recommend that people get their passport at their country鈥檚 consulate or some type of ID, so they can identify themselves if they get stopped by police,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd to make sure they don鈥檛 make bad decisions like drinking and driving.鈥�
But others, like 80-year-old Guadalupe Macias, said he wouldn鈥檛 travel to Mexico right now because of security concerns on both sides of the border. Originally from Le贸n, Guanajuato, Macias has lived in Dallas for 50 years and retired from truck driving more than a decade ago.
He said he used to travel to Mexico for work but stopped out of fear because "things happened on the road." He cited instances where Mexican government officials took money from him during his travels.
鈥淧eople are afraid to travel to Mexico because of Trump鈥檚 election,鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople are feeling uneasy because of the situation here, but because of the situation over there as well.鈥� Macias said the best thing would be to not risk it and to not travel for the time being.
Jos茅 Antonio Garc铆a G贸mez, who has lived in Dallas for 25 years, was at the same bus terminal Wednesday morning trying to figure out how much luggage he can take back to his native Mexico. He鈥檚 planning to sell his truck, move there and not come back.
It has nothing to do with politics, he said: Garc铆a G贸mez, who had been hospitalized for four months, is unable to continue working as an electrician. He's leaving Texas, he said, because he鈥檚 exhausted all of his options, and his children will help care for him in his hometown of Mexico City.
鈥淚f I sell my truck tomorrow, tomorrow I鈥檒l leave,鈥� he said.
Garc铆a G贸mez said he never imagined leaving under these circumstances 鈥� to leave a country that he considers his second home.
鈥淚鈥檓 leaving out of necessity,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not leaving because I am afraid of Trump or any politician. I always worked an honest living and earned good money, and I was able to put my kids through school, but I can鈥檛 work anymore.鈥�
Garc铆a G贸mez said people shouldn鈥檛 be afraid to travel because of the talk of mass deportations. He believes that it was an exaggeration on Trump鈥檚 part to appeal to his voter base.
鈥淭he one that deported more people after so many people voted for him was Obama,鈥� Garc铆a G贸mez said. The Obama administration during his first term.
While Garc铆a G贸mez and others are not feeling any changes yet, he said immigrants should still be vigilant.
Priscilla Rice is 四虎影院鈥檚 communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
四虎影院 is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider . Thank you.
