He hired Mexican immigrants? Did they just return from the U.S. to Mexico?
I read that to mean that, before moving to Mexico he had a business in Phoenix refurbishing homes and renting them out. He hired Mexican illegals to do the work, and that's how he got to know their culture and language. When his hired hands were caught and deported, he became disillusioned with the USA and moved himself to Mexico, where reality struck him in the face... several times, it seems.
-PJ