US Citizenship Denied, Illegal Brazilians Head Home

Anti-immigrant crackdowns have partly succeeded, the New York Times reports, citing a wave of returning middle-class Brazilian illegals. Faced with no way to renew driver's licenses and no hope of legalization, many are going home, where economic conditions aren’t half bad. “Why should you stay if you have a place like Brazil, where there’s hope?” asked one Brazilian businessman.

One US dollar once bought 4 Brazilian reals—now, it buys just 1.7. But despite Brazil’s economic ascendancy, many would rather stay here, where they’ve raised families—if given a path to legality. “After the [immigration reform] law didn’t pass, all the hope went away,” said one departing Brazilian. “If we had papers, we’d stay forever.” (More illegal immigrant stories.)