After Morehouse College alum Alex Maganda was picked up by immigration agents last June, his Spelhouse community rallied for his release with the hashtag #FreeAlexMaganda.
It was an urgent call to Morehouse College and Spelman College’s network to help their former classmate, who had been brought to America at the age of 5 by his parents and had lived in the United States for over 25 years.
Now there’s a new hashtag for Maganda where he encourages people to follow his journey: #LifeAfterDeportationtoMexico.
“Still rebuilding. Still greatful. Still moving forward,” he posted.
After a traffic stop last June in Dallas, the former HBCU football player was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and then held at the Blue Bonnet Detention Facility in Anson, Texas.
Maganda’s attorney Carrie Nguyen said he came to the U.S. under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, which was constructed to shield participants from deportation. Maganda’s status had expired and wasn’t renewed.
In his first Instagram post from Dec. 26, Maganda wrote that he’d been out of detention only a few days and thanked his many supporters for their prayers.
“This transition tested me in ways I can’t fully put into words, but I didn’t walk it alone. To everyone who prayed for me, encouraged me, simply believed in me… Thank you”
Three Instagram posts show the former Dallas-based general contractor acclimating to life in Mexico with photos and videos of colorful meals, the beach, fields, and farm life.
He also launched a GoFundMe looking to raise $4,000. He wrote:
“I was recently and unexpectedly deported to Mexico, and everything I knew changed in a matter of days. I arrived with very limited resources, no stable housing, and no clear path forward,” Maganda posted. “I am now facing the reality of rebuilding my life from the ground up in a country I have not lived in for years.”
The fundraising page said donations would be used for temporary housing, food, living expenses, transportation, communication, legal needs, and his job search.
Top of mind are the many friends and family he was forced to leave behind.
“This experience has been overwhelming. Being separated from my life, my future plans, and the people I love has been incredibly painful,” he wrote. “Still, I am doing my best to stay grounded and focused on moving forward with integrity and hope.”
Despite the many challenges of building a new life in Mexico, Maganda wrote that he remains steadfast in his fath.
“My faith is what is carrying me through this season. I believe that God is still in control, even when the path ahead feels uncertain,” he wrote. “I am trusting that this setback is not the end of my story, but a chapter that will one day make sense.
“I wake up each day choosing faith over fear, praying for strength, guidance, and the ability to rebuild my life with purpose,” he wrote.
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