Trump administration launches ‘Self-Deportation’ app for undocumented migrants

The Trump administration has repurposed a mobile application—originally designed to facilitate asylum appointments—into a tool for undocumented migrants in the U.S. to “self-deport.”

The app, now called CBP Home, allows migrants to submit an “intent to depart,” which U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) says gives them the opportunity to leave voluntarily without facing harsher legal consequences.

U.S. officials have repeatedly encouraged undocumented migrants to leave on their own rather than risk arrest and forced deportation. The move is part of the administration’s broader effort to overhaul immigration policy, which has included pledges of mass detentions and strict enforcement measures.

Originally launched in 2020 as CBP One, the app was expanded under the Biden administration to help migrants schedule appointments at ports of entry. At the time, officials credited it with reducing border detentions and providing a safer, more structured process for asylum seekers.

Now, with its rebranding as CBP Home, the app asks undocumented migrants to identify themselves and declare their intention to leave the country.

In a statement, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem emphasized that self-deporting through the app could preserve future opportunities for legal immigration.

“By choosing to leave, migrants may still have the opportunity to return legally and live the American dream,” Noem said. “If they don’t, we will find them, we will deport them, and they will never return.”

The app also asks whether migrants have sufficient funds to leave the U.S. and whether they possess a valid, unexpired passport from their home country.

CBP Home is part of a $200 million government-backed ad campaign urging undocumented migrants to “stay out and leave now.” The administration has also taken other aggressive steps, including:

• Pausing parole programs that previously allowed certain migrants to enter under humanitarian grounds.
• Increasing ICE raids to detain and remove undocumented individuals.
• Proposing a national registry requiring all undocumented migrants over 14 to provide their address and fingerprints—or risk criminal prosecution.

Experts say the registry, if implemented, would face major legal and logistical challenges. Meanwhile, immigration advocates have criticized the CBP Home app, warning that it could pressure vulnerable individuals into leaving without fully understanding their rights or legal options.