The Trump administration has introduced an updated cellphone application, formerly used for asylum applications by migrants, to now enable individuals residing unlawfully in the U.S. to express their desire to voluntarily depart from the country. The revamped app, now named CBP Home, was revealed on Monday as part of the administration’s efforts to promote “self-deportations,” presented as a simple and cost-effective mechanism to support President Donald Trump’s initiative to expel millions of undocumented immigrants.
Acting Commissioner for U.S Customs and Border Protection, Pete Flores, stated, “The app offers undocumented individuals in the United States a direct method to declare their decision to leave voluntarily, granting them the opportunity to depart prior to facing more severe consequences.” Following Trump’s inauguration, the previous version of the app, CBP One, ceased asylum applications for migrants, leading to the cancellation of tens of thousands of border appointments.
Under CBP One, over 900,000 individuals received immigration parole to enter the country, typically for a two-year period, commencing in January 2023. The administration has consistently encouraged unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. to depart voluntarily. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem emphasized, “The CBP Home app provides aliens the choice to depart immediately and self-deport, allowing them the chance to legally return in the future and pursue the American dream.”
The implementation of the new app raised questions among experts regarding how many undocumented individuals would opt for what has traditionally been referred to as “voluntary departure,” and what the government aims to achieve with this initiative. Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, an associate policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, expressed uncertainty about the administration’s motives, suggesting that there is a growing atmosphere of apprehension surrounding immigration due to highly publicized ICE arrests and the transfer of immigrants to a detention facility in Guantanamo Bay. She theorized that the new app might be part of a targeted public relations strategy to encourage more individuals to voluntarily leave the U.S.
Despite some individuals unlawfully residing in the U.S. choosing to depart even before Trump’s presidency, the exact number remains unknown. Previous large-scale crackdowns on illegal immigration, including a well-known quasi-military operation in the mid-1950s endorsed by Trump, also led many legally residing immigrants to depart from the U.S.
