Lighting the Way for Deportees and Returning Migrants

A Cross Border Lifeline Built From Faith, Compassion, and Lived Experience

Hola friend. I'm Paul Green.

I grew up running through the woods and creeks of North Carolina, raised on simple values, community, and the belief that we should help our neighbors whenever we can. Those early years formed my foundation and taught me what it means to care for others.

In my twenties and thirties, life carried me far beyond those Carolina woods. I moved to Guanajuato, Mexico and have spent about half of my adult life here. I learned the language, the culture, the humor, the food, and the rhythm of Mexican life. I built friendships that became family. I walked the callejones, shared meals, and stood by people in moments of hardship and joy.

Today I feel like my life is rooted in two worlds.

One part of me is still the Southern country boy who grew up running through the woods of North Carolina, fishing at daybreak, squirrel hunting in the fall, and singing George Jones songs with family on quiet evenings. Those roots taught me simplicity, kindness, and the importance of looking out for the people around you.

The other part of me is the Mexican ranchero I became over time, living in Guanajuato and traveling through Mexico, learning the culture from the inside. I know the words to the best corridos, I have shared caguamas with friends in small cantinas, and I have learned firsthand that mi casa es su casa is not an expression. It is a way of life. The warmth and generosity of Mexico became a second home to me, as natural as the hills and fishing holes I grew up with.

Both of my worlds taught me the same truth. Family, faith, hard work, and hospitality are not cultural differences. They are shared values that tie us together.

The more I live between these two places, the more I see how deeply they mirror one another. I am rooted in both American and Mexican customs and values, and I have come to realize that the heart of each culture beats in the same direction. That understanding is what allows me to build this coalition with compassion, respect, and a genuine love for the people on both sides of the border.

Where Your Initial Contributions Will Go

You Can Help Me Make This Concept A Reality

Building the Foundation

Your support helps create the nonprofit structure, the website, and the directory that will guide deportees and Dreamers toward real help. Initial funds go toward developing the resource platform, organizing the directory, setting up communication channels, and launching the podcast and YouTube platforms where stories can be shared with dignity. These tools are the backbone of everything we will build.

Connecting and Uniting Support Networks

I am already connected with nonprofits, churches, local groups, community efforts, and organizations on both sides of the border. One of the main goals of this coalition is to bring all these groups together into a unified network so we can reach people faster and more effectively. Contributions help create the systems and outreach needed to coordinate, communicate, and strengthen these partnerships.

Preparing to Offer Direct Help

As the foundation grows stronger, the mission will expand to providing direct support to deportees and Dreamers. This includes help with employment, housing, community connections, transportation, food, phone minutes, work clothes, emergency needs, and financial assistance when possible. Your contribution today builds the structure that will allow this collective effort to bring real hope to the people who need it most.

Every contribution, large or small, becomes part of the larger mission.

Any amount helps. Even small gifts build the foundation of something powerful and long lasting.

Why I Feel Called to Do This

Over the years, many deportees and returning migrants have shared their stories with me. Stories of being taken from the only home they ever knew. Stories of separation from their children, spouses, and friends. Stories of starting over in a place that feels unfamiliar and overwhelming.

Many arrive in Mexico without direction or support. The loneliness runs deep and the journey can be frightening. Hearing these stories changed me. They stayed with me and stirred something inside me that I could not ignore.

The calling became clear. Create something that brings hope. Create something that brings connection. Create something that brings dignity to people who feel forgotten.

This is how The Mexico Deportee Coalition was born.

Why I Am in a Unique Position to Build This

Because of my life on both sides of the border, I have become deeply connected to both cultures. I understand the challenges deportees face when they arrive in Mexico, and I also understand the communities they were separated from in the United States.

Through my work with My Mexico Move, my years of living in Guanajuato, and my background as an American raised in the South, I have seen both sides clearly. I know the resources that exist, the needs that are unmet, and the gaps that must be filled.

I believe I am in a unique position to bridge these two worlds. To unite churches, nonprofits, expats, families, supporters, and communities of goodwill. To help bring hope to people who feel lost.

This is not just a project. It is a calling to build a network of compassion.

What We Are Building Together

A Central Resource and Directory

A place where deportees and returning migrants can find real, practical help, including:

shelters
churches
legal clinics
humanitarian organizations
job opportunities
mental health support
reintegration programs
community groups

A Storytelling Platform

We are launching a YouTube channel and podcast dedicated to interviewing deportees and returning migrants. Their stories deserve to be heard with dignity and compassion. Stories create understanding. Stories spark change. Stories let people know they are not alone.

Outreach and Awareness Tools

Design, branding, and communication systems will allow us to reach deportees who often struggle to find help in the first days and weeks after arrival.

A Future Path for Direct Assistance

As the coalition grows, contributions will help support emergency needs such as:

transportation
food
shelter connections
phone minutes
work attire
basic necessities

Why This Matters So Much

Every week I speak with people who feel lost and unseen. Many grew up in the United States since childhood and now find themselves standing in a country they barely know. Their courage is powerful, and their pain is real.

This coalition tells them:

You are not forgotten.
You are not alone.
Your story matters.

Join the Effort to Bring Light Back Into Someone’s Life

Your support means:

more people will find help
more stories will be heard
more connections will be formed
more families will feel hope again

Choose an amount that feels right and know that your kindness will reach someone who is hurting far more than you may ever know.

Help Me Build Hope by Helping Deportees and Dreamers in Mexico

Help Fund The Mexico Deportee Coalition

By The Mexico Deportee Coalition

Help Fund The Mexico Deportee Coalition

Lighting the Way for Deportees and Returning Migrants

Team Leaderboard

Team Members