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‘Leave now’: Trump administration launches controversial 'CBP Home' app to encourage self-deportations
Donald Trump's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has introduced a new app, where migrants can share their intention to “self-deport.”
Donald Trump's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has introduced a new app, where migrants can share their intention to “self-deport.”
The newly-launched CBP Home app seems to be a replacement for the CBP One app, which was used under Biden administration and allowed migrants to schedule appointments to apply for asylum at a port of entry.
The app encourages undocumented immigrants to plan their departures and submit their details, including a photo, so that officials stay prepared to usher them out. The CBP Home app features a “submit intent to depart” option.
“The app provides illegal aliens in the United States with a straightforward way to declare their intent to voluntarily depart, offering them the chance to leave before facing harsher consequences,” stated Pete Flores, acting commissioner at Customs and Border Protection.
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Kristi Noem issues statement on CBP Home app
Meanwhile, Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, blasted the Biden administration, stating that it had “exploited” the CBP One app.
“We are restoring integrity to our immigration system with the launch of the CBP Home app,” she said.
“The CBP Home app gives aliens the option to leave now and self-deport, so they may still have the opportunity to return legally in the future and live the American dream. If they don’t, we will find them, we will deport them, and they will never return.”
This development comes after the Trump administration called for illegal immigrants to register with the government and provide their fingerprints.
The estimated 11 million persons living in the country illegally are mostly unknown to the government, and most migrants are probably reluctant to fill out paperwork as they fear deportation.
Last month, Noem banned the use of CBP One to let migrants board domestic flights, unless they were using it to self-deport themselves. Additionally, the administration has revoked renewals for Temporary Protected Status for some nationalities.
In the meantime, the government has reported a dramatic decline in the number of migrants crossing the southern border.
“They heard my words, and they chose not to come, much easier that way,” Trump told the join session of Congress.
