To the liberal media, everything was Trump’s fault. That’s exactly what CNN News Central executed on Wednesday when the Mendoza family was covered in a segment for moving to Mexico because President Trump was in office. This was the family’s way to fulfill a “self-deportation,” and Trump was the one to blame on CNN, rather than the father who came in illegally.
Julio Mendoza was an illegal immigrant from Mexico since he was 11, while his wife, Sasha, and kids were U.S. citizens residing in Pittsburgh. The Mendoza’s decided after seeing the news coverage of Kilmer Abrego Garcia, who’s an illegal immigrant arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, that they should move to Mexico. CNN took this story and ran with it.
CNN correspondent Priscilla Alvarez phrased their motive as Trump’s fault:
Fearful of President Donald Trump’s Immigration crackdown, Sasha, her husband Julio, and their three kids are leaving behind the life they built together...They decided to make the move together only moments after Trump took office.
Alvarez showed a pattern of asking questions to the Mendoza family,-specifically designed around how Trump had wronged them.
For example, she asked if Trump’s second term was “more nerve wracking” for the family to come up with that decision to leave. That definitely does not feel biased at all. To which, the husband responded with a victim mentality answer:
There are no limits. There are no limits on being a target. The only main concern is like he looks brown. He looks different. He doesn't speak English. He’s the one. It doesn’t matter.
No, Julio, ICE just upholds the law by arresting and deporting illegal immigrants, which you were.
What was hilarious was that CNN acknowledged the truth of immigration, yet made it look like it was a bad idea. Alvarez asked Mendoza what he would say to people who claim he “came to the U.S. illegally,” and “Why didn’t you do it the right way?”
If CNN recognized the truth, why did they phrase it in a way that disrespected the law?
In his response, Mendoza whined: “If you were to be put in my situation at my age to tell me do it the right way. The whole process pretty much takes about 15 to 20 years.”
Alverez wrapped up the pointed fingers game when she stated:
It’s something that the Trump administration is banking on. They’re calling them self-deportations. They’re taking to the airwaves with multimillion dollar ad campaigns and offering financial incentives for people to leave...The uncertainty was enough to make this move, and what we learned, of course, in this reporting, Brianna, is it’s not just undocumented immigrants doing it, but also their U.S. citizen spouses and children.
Did CNN realize that it helps fix the problem when illegal immigrants leave the country? Obviously, no one wants families to split apart, but this family was in a tough situation and made the choice to leave the country. CNN used the story to tug on the heartstrings and fearmonger the public on the ICE arrests and deportations as wrong.
Click here for the transcript:
CNN News Central
7/16/25
2:23 p.m. Eastern(…)
BRIANNA KEILAR: There's also a lot of immigrants who are looking at this story and considering their own situations, and you've been talking to one family of mixed status who has been looking at it and decided, you know what? We're going to actually leave the U.S. even though only one of them is actually undocumented. Tell us about this.
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ: Yeah, this case was pivotal for this family. As soon as they saw it, they saw themselves in the family of Kilmer Abrego Garcia, and they decided to make the decision in very quick turnaround to move to Mexico. Here's their story.
[Cuts to video]
(…)
2:24:52 p.m. Eastern
ALVAREZ: So you are saying bye to the U.S. for good?
JULIO MENDOZA: For good. Yeah, for good.
ALVAREZ: Fearful of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, Sasha, her husband Julio, and their three kids are leaving behind the life they built together.
S. MENDOZA: What are you the most excited for in Mexico?
DAUGHTER: The pool.
S. MENDOZA: The pool?
DAUGHTER: And the beach.
S. MENDOZA: The beach.
ALVAREZ: Julio is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. Sasha and their three children are all U.S. citizens. They decided to make the move together only moments after Trump took office.
J. MENDOZA: It was an executive order being signed, and that was her call for us like, “What do you think about moving to Mexico?” And I said, “Honestly, at this point, yeah, let’s do it.”
(…)
2:26:13 p.m. Eastern
ALVAREZ: Julio crossed the U.S. southern border when he was 11 years old, and he’s lived in Pittsburgh ever since.
S. MENDOZA: One of his first concerns when we talked about moving is like, how am I going to watch the Steelers games?
ALVAREZ: You’re Pittsburgh native for all intents and purposes?
S. MENDOZA: Oh my God, yeah.
J. MENDOZA: Yeah.
ALVAREZ: What made Trump a second term more nerve wracking for you that to come to a decision that you had to leave the country?
J. MENDOZA: There are no limits. There are no limits on being a target. The only main concern is like he looks brown. He looks different. He doesn’t speak English. He’s the one. It doesn’t matter.
ANDERSON COOPER: That’s where things stand tonight in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia-
ALVAREZ: They were confronted with their worst nightmare. When Kilmar Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported to a notorious mega prison in El Salvador.
S. MENDOZA: I can see myself in that. And I don’t want us to wait until we’re in the same situation.
ALVAREZ: There are people who will say, you came to the U.S. illegally. Why didn’t you do it the right way? What do you say to people?
J. MENDOZA: If you were to be put in my situation at my age to tell me do it the right way. The whole process pretty much takes about 15 to 20 years. By that time, I don't think my kids or anyone's kids who are starving or in a dangerous situation can't wait 15-20 years for you to come here and start working.
(…)
2:29 p.m. Eastern
[Cuts back to live]
ALVAREZ: Now, Sasha and Julio are settling in in Mexico, and they are part of a newly emerging community of people who are voluntarily departing the United States. It's something that the Trump administration is banking on. They're calling them self-deportations. They're taking to the airwaves with multimillion dollar ad campaigns and offering financial incentives for people to leave.
Now, Sasha and Julio opted not to take that offer, but for them, what was happening in the U.S. was enough. The uncertainty was enough to make this move, and what we learned, of course, in this reporting, Brianna, is it's not just undocumented immigrants doing it, but also their U.S. citizen spouses and children.
KEILAR: Such great reporting, Pricilla. Thank you for taking us behind the scenes there. Really appreciate it.
