Immigrant rights advocates are denouncing the Trump administration's launch of a self-deportation feature within a repurposed mobile app, CBP Home, which allows undocumented immigrants to voluntarily leave the United States.
CBP Home replaced CBP One, which was introduced under the Biden administration and enabled migrants to apply for asylum legally and reach the U.S. through ports of entry. Over a million people used CBP One to gain work permits and two-year stays in the U.S. while it was active. The new app, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, is a centralized portal offering various services, including the option for migrants to self-deport.
Critics argue the measure is unrealistic, coercive, and dismissive of the hardships faced by migrants. "It seems they are playing with human beings and the hopes of an entire community," José María García, founder of the migrant shelter Movimiento Juventud 2000 in Tijuana, told Telemundo.
"The government is making the community self-deport, giving them no hope of seeking support, quite the opposite of the previous government, which was helping them through humanitarian means so that the community could be protected in this country," García added.
Immigration advocates consulted by Tampa Bay Times also echoed the sentiment expressed by García, expressing skepticism about the feasibility of self-deportations. Galileo Cecilio Hernandez, president of the Hispanic nonprofit Unimex in Clearwater, said that the new self-deportation feature will not be very effective. "People have come here to work for their families," he said. "No one is just going to turn themselves in like that."
Naureen Shah, deputy director at the American Civil Liberties Union, criticized the campaign and app alike when consulted by the Florida outlet:
"The CBP Home app, much like the administration's $200 million ad campaign, perpetuates the myth that, by self-deporting, immigrants and people in need of humanitarian protection will be able to one day access legal pathways to the U.S.. But this couldn't be further from the truth"
The Trump administration has also launched a $200 million global advertising campaign urging unauthorized immigrants to leave voluntarily. A significant portion of the funds—over $2 million—has gone to English-language outlets, compared to $360,000 for Spanish-language media, Associated Press data shows.
Trump himself called on migrants to self-deport using the app. "People in our country illegally can self-deport the easy way, or they can get deported the hard way, and that's not pleasant," Trump stated in a passage of the video. He emphasized that those who choose to use the app might have the chance to return legally in the future, whereas those apprehended and deported forcibly would be permanently barred. "Do it wrong, and you'll never be back again," Trump said. "You're never coming in."
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