‘It Was a Shock’; Raised in the U.S., Deported to Mexico

Young, undocumented immigrants who grew up eating hamburgers, speaking English and rooting for the local baseball team face hardships over the border

An area of Mexico City known as “Little L.A.,” has evolved into a hub for migrants from the U.S. Israel Concha, who was deported after more than 30 years, now devotes his time to helping other deportees rebuild their lives in a place they hardly know. Photo/Video: Jake Nicol/The Wall Street Journal

David Luhnow

Feb. 2, 2018 5:30 a.m. ET

MEXICO CITY—Israel Concha broke the law when he was 4 years old.

That’s when his parents illegally took the youngster across the Rio Grande into Texas. Three decades later, after going to college and setting up his own taxi company in Corpus Christi, he was deported back to Mexico, a land he barely knew.

“Thirty years of my life down the...