The Trump administration has introduced an updated mobile application, previously used for migrants to apply for asylum, and transformed it into a tool for undocumented immigrants in the United States to express their intention to leave voluntarily.
The revamped application, which was announced on Monday and is now named CBP Home, is positioned as an integral part of the administration’s strategy to promote “self-deportations.” This initiative is presented as a straightforward and cost-efficient measure to support President Donald Trump’s objective of removing millions of undocumented immigrants.
In a statement, Pete Flores, the acting commissioner for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, highlighted that the app offers illegal residents a clear channel to declare their intention to voluntarily exit the country, thus affording them a chance to depart before harsher measures are imposed.
Immediately following Trump’s assumption of office, the previous version of the application, CBP One, ceased to allow migrants to apply for asylum, resulting in the cancellation of thousands of border appointments.
Since January 2023, more than 900,000 individuals were admitted into the country under immigration parole via CBP One, generally for a period of two years.
The Trump administration has steadfastly encouraged undocumented migrants to self-deport.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem took to the platform X to convey that the CBP Home app gives undocumented individuals the opportunity to exit voluntarily and retain a chance of returning legally in the future, thereby realizing the American dream. She warned, however, that failure to do so would result in their removal and a permanent ban from returning.
There are reports of some undocumented individuals opting to leave the U.S. even before Trump took office, although specific numbers are unclear.
Past large-scale enforcement actions against illegal immigration, notably a quasi-military operation in the 1950s which Trump has often lauded, have historically prompted even legal residents to depart from the country.
