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After deportation, what it’s like working at a call center
Daniel Zamora at the U.S.-Mexico border wall in 2022.
(
Courtesy of Lorena Rios
)
“It was a kind of connection to the U.S. and it made you feel like you hadn't lost everything," Daniel Zamora says in the latest episode of "Return to Mexico."
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Part 2 of "Imperfect Paradise: Return to Mexico" follows Daniel Zamora after he was deported from the U.S. to Mexico in 2011, separated from his boyfriend, his family and his life in the states.
Finding work: Zamora’s first job back in Mexico was at a call center as a bilingual customer support agent serving a U.S. phone company. He said a lot of his coworkers were also returnees, spoke English and had some sort of relationship to the U.S.
“A lot of people miss the U.S. and I think that's one of the reasons why people ended up working at the call center,” said Zamora. “It was a kind of connection to the U.S. and it made you feel like you hadn't lost everything”
Zamora’s work day started at 6:45 a.m. He’d enter into a dimly lit warehouse full of desks, with two big towers where the supervisors sat observing everyone’s screens. He’d log onto his computer and start taking calls, trying to average less than three minutes a call to earn a bonus.
“There were mainly complaints about the service, like, ‘I'm at the store and they don't have this phone in blue and I want it in blue,’” Zamora said. “I had this feeling that I had everything taken away from me…and then, when I was at work, I was hearing people complaining about silly things and it was just upsetting."
Daniel Zamora looking out into Ciudad Juarez in 2022.
(
Courtesy of Lorena Rios
)
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What else is in the episode: Lead reporter Lorena Ríos tells the story of Zamora’s transitional year in Mexico as he waits for news of his deportation appeal, while trying to maintain his cross-border relationship. The episode also dives into Zamora’s childhood and why and how he came to the U.S. as a teenager.
How can I listen? Here's Part 2:
Return to Mexico: Part 2
Daniel Zamora waits for the decision on his deportation appeal and has to figure out how to make a life in Mexico — find work, get an apartment. All the while, Daniel tries to keep up his cross-border relationship. Lorena Ríos reports.
New episodes of Imperfect Paradise: Return to Mexico publish Wednesdays wherever you get your podcasts, on LAist.com, and on broadcast at LAist 89.3 the following Sunday.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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