Politics
Thousands Of Illegal Aliens Schedule Self-Deportations Through ‘CBP Home’ App
Thousands of illegal aliens facing potential deportation from the United States have instead opted to leave the country voluntarily through an app provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
According to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data that was shared with Fox News, more than 5,000 illegal aliens have opted to self-deport to their country of origin using the app.
Under the Biden Administration, the app, then known as CBP One, allowed illegal aliens to schedule their own entry into the United States, where they were then transported to American communities of their choosing. Trump shut down CBP One almost immediately after taking office before it was eventually repurposed for self-deportations.
The latest figures come as the Trump Administration has ramped up a messaging campaign aimed at encouraging illegal aliens to leave the country voluntarily rather than be subjected to detention and deportation. DHS recently released a flyer addressed to “illegal aliens” that warns of additional fines for those who opt to remain in the United States despite having an outstanding deportation order.
“Self-deportation is safe,” the flyer reads. “Leave on your own terms by picking your departure flight.”
The flyer goes on to warn that the administration plans to start fining illegal aliens who have received a final order of removal up to $998 per day if they continue to stay in the country, while the fines could be increased to anywhere between $1,000 and $5,000 for any individual who schedules a self-deportation and fails to follow through, Fox News reported.
America First Legal Senior Counsel James Rogers told the outlet that the self-deportation push is working due to credible threat of enforcement from the administration. “Our nation’s immigration laws impose severe penalties on aliens who are illegally in the country. The only reason there is a large population of illegal immigrants residing in the United States is because prior administrations have failed to enforce these laws passed by Congress,” Rogers said.
“Everyone knows this, including the aliens who have been illegally living here. The current trend of illegal aliens self-deporting proves that even just the credible threat of enforcement can be enough to get many illegal immigrants to comply with our laws and leave the country.”
In addition to the threat of additional fines, the flyer lists a number of benefits for those who schedule a self-deportation, including the ability to keep money they earned while in the United States, future opportunities for legal immigration and potential financial assistance for flights out of the country for those who cannot afford it.
“Illegal aliens should use the CBP Home app to self-deport and leave the country now. If they don’t, they will face the consequences,” Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News. “This includes a fine of $998 per day for every day that the illegal alien overstayed their final deportation order.”
In a video statement released last month, President Trump himself got in on the messaging campaign by encouraging illegal aliens to leave voluntarily.
“Leave now and self-deport voluntarily. If they do, they could potentially have the opportunity to return legally at some point in the future,” Trump said in the video, adding that those who do not self-deport “will be found, they will be deported, and they will never be admitted again to the United States.”
“Using the CBP home app to leave the United States voluntarily is the safest option for illegal aliens,” the president added.
