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Off Mic

Documenting Jay: 17-Year-Old Deported

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

By Amy Isackson and Off Mic

Reporting on illegal immigration isn't easy. People aren't always eager to talk and the paper trail is often thin. This is one of those stories. When we met Jay, he'd recently been deported to Tijuana for the second time. He was a few months from turning 18.

Jay grew up in Fontana, California. His mother brought him from Mexico to the United States illegally when he was 2. His mother and sister are now legal U.S. residents. Jay was working on getting his papers, but he got in trouble with the law and that derailed the process.

Both times Jay was deported, he'd committed crimes in Fontana and that tipped off immigration authorities. "Jay" is an alias and we weren't allowed to show his face because he is a minor. This video documents the challenges we faced in reporting Jay's story.

View more photos of Jay and the youth shelter in Tijuana.

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