SPECIAL REPORT: Migrants impacted by Trump policies

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Immigration policies have became stricter as President Trump introduces new orders all in efforts to secure the southern border.

It has been nearly a month since President Trump took office and some migrants have already been impacted by his mass deportation efforts. Some have had to leave their families behind.

"I was just working construction when they came. Couldn't call anyone, not even my family," said Jose Ochoa, a Mexican migrant.

Jose is just one of the hundreds of people deported shortly after President Trump took office.

He had been working over 10 years in construction in Phoenix before he was picked up and sent back to Mexico.

But he says he is not giving up.

"I'm going to try to cross again. If not, I'll stay here and I'll put my best foot forward," expressed Ochoa.

Ochoa believes that it's more than just about securing the border. 

"I think it is racism because we should all have the right to work, create a better life for your family. There should be compassion," he continued.

Another migrant at the shelter was Juan Angeles.

I originally spoke to him just days after he was deported, after spending 10 years in Kingman, Arizona on his way to work for a landscaping company. 

He says his life changed in the blink of an eye. 

"One is used to life over there. More now that I don't have my family. That's what hurts the most," said Juan Fernando Velasquez Angeles.

Juan left behind his kids and grandkids saying as his voice cracked, he misses them more than words can describe.

"The hardest part is not being with them. Not knowing how they are, if they are sick, if they need something. That is what hurts," said Angeles.

He explains staying in San Luis, Mexico is the best option so his family is able to visit him, although, he is over a thousand miles away from his hometown.

"Sometimes they don’t understand that life here is really expensive, but in Nayarit, I know kind of how things are," Angeles said.

He wishes President Trump stepped into a migrant’s shoes for a day.

"So he sees it's not easy. I want to see him in the fields to work and see. Go to construction. All those hard jobs...who do you think does them? My people," Angeles expressed.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, agents saw almost 100,000 migrants along the southwest border in December.

In November, that number was slightly smaller with about 94,000 encounters.

In the Yuma sector, agents saw over 1,500 migrants in December, a little less compared to the month prior where encounters hit 1,600.

As for migrants like Juan Angeles, he has a message for Trump.

"Well, the president, I hope God blesses him. I don't judge him, I have nothing to say. He should just take into account those that do bad, not my people that work hard," Angeles said.

Juan hopes to one day be reunited with his family, and in the mean time, he has a positive outlook in life.