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The 300,000 undocumented American children who live in the shadows in Mexico

American-born children deported to Mexico are having trouble getting healthcare without birth certificates

For decades, Mexico had been accustomed to having a constant stream of people leave the country. But a growing number of Mexican adults living illegally in the United States have been deported over the past eight years due to harsher immigration laws under President Obama and continuing now under Trump, and it’s rapidly turning Mexico from a country of emigrants into a country of immigrants. But without the proper experience or infrastructure, Mexico is struggling to manage the new landscape, and many families are falling through the cracks.

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Today, the Mexican government estimates that about half of its Mexican-American children are living without essential government services due to being undocumented. Without their birth certificates, the almost 300,000 children cannot receive free education or universal healthcare.

This segment originally aired May 8, 2017, on VICE News Tonight on HBO.