Synopsis:

The state of Oaxaca is one of the states in Mexico with the highest international migration, primarily to the United States. The Oaxacan state government estimates that there are about two million migrants from Oaxaca currently living in the United States.

The City of Oaxaca, as the capital of the state and due to its central geographical location, is a main point of migrant departure and return. Migrants who return do so primarily because they are deported or forced to return. In 2025, according to the Mexican government, about 10,000 migrants from Oaxaca were deported from the USA, and another 10,000 were forced to return. The Migration Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., and the Mexican federal government estimate that, since the economic recession of 2007 in the United States to the present, about 500,000 migrants from Oaxaca were deported. This presentation will discuss the needs and challenges facing migrants who return to Oaxaca.

Presenter:

Francisco Mireles is an indigenous Zapoteco, born in the Sierra Juarez region of Oaxaca, Mexico. He emigrated to the United States when he was 15 years old, and attended Madera High School and California State University, Fresno.

He was accepted to the University of California, Berkeley, but, due to his immigration status and financial challenges, was unable to attend. He was selected to participate in national internships with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.

Francisco was not able to legalize his immigration status and was deported to Mexico a few years ago. He decided to return to Oaxaca to restart his life. Thanks to the economic support of friends in the United States, he has been able to continue his higher education in Mexico. He has studied at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the Universidad Iberoamericana, the Autonomous University Benito Juarez of Oaxaca (UABJO), and the Universidad Autonoma Comunal de Oaxaca. He is the director and founder of La Casa del Migrante de Oaxaca in Oaxaca City.