President Donald Trump’s administration unveiled a new self-deportation app on Monday. The new app is aimed at encouraging undocumented immigrants in the United States to “self-deport” voluntarily, marking a significant shift in the nation’s immigration enforcement strategy.
The app, dubbed CBP Home, replaces the Biden-era CBP One app and introduces a feature allowing users to signal their “intent to depart,” according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This development builds on President Donald Trump’s pledge to deport record numbers of migrants living in the U.S. illegally during his second term.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the launch of the self-deportation app, framing it as a practical option for undocumented immigrants.
“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,” Noem said in a statement.
She added a stern warning: “If they don’t, we will find them, we will deport them, and they will never return.”
The self-deportation app requires users to upload photos and provide details about their country of origin and intended destination. This, however, raises questions about how the government might use this information.
The rollout of CBP Home comes as part of a broader immigration crackdown initiated by President Donald Trump, who took office on January 20, 2025. On his first day, he issued a directive to halt the use of CBP One, a Biden administration tool that allowed migrants to schedule asylum appointments at legal border crossings.
CBP confirmed the cancellation of all pending appointments the following day, leaving thousands of migrants in limbo. Noem criticized the previous administration’s approach, claiming:
“The Biden Administration exploited the CBP One app to allow more than 1 million aliens to illegally enter the United States.” She positioned CBP Home as a step toward “restoring integrity to our immigration system.”
Originally launched in 2020 during Trump’s first term, CBP One served various immigration-related functions, such as facilitating applications and cargo inspections. Under President Joe Biden, its use expanded in 2023 to allow approximately one million migrants in Mexico to request entry, a feature Republicans decried as a loophole for mass migration.
Critics, including Donald Trump, argued that it lacked sufficient vetting, enabling migrants to enter and then disappear into the country. The rebranded CBP Home retains some of these original functions, like applying for I-94 entry cards and checking border wait times. However, its new self-deportation focus reflects the administration’s aggressive stance.
Trump’s efforts at sanitising US immigration aside from self-deportation
Beyond the self-deportation app, the Trump administration has introduced additional measures to pressure undocumented immigrants. A forthcoming regulation, set to take effect April 11, 2025, will mandate that individuals lacking legal status register with the federal government or face fines and potential jail time.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has also allocated $200 million for a domestic and international advertising campaign urging migrants to “stay out and leave now.” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids have increased nationwide, and parole programs expanded under Biden have been paused.
Despite these efforts, early deportation numbers under Trump have lagged behind Biden’s fiscal year 2024 monthly average of 57,000 removals and returns, which included many recent border crossers. In February, Reuters reported Trump deported 37,660 individuals in his first month, a figure that has drawn scrutiny as he pushes for mass deportations.
Analysts estimate the undocumented population at 11 to 14 million, a scale that poses logistical challenges for ICE.
Immigration attorney Darius Amiri of Rose Law Group expressed scepticism about CBP Home’s intent.
“If you provide this info, there’s a good likelihood they will use it to track you down and deport you, even if the purpose is for people to leave on their own terms,” he told AZFamily.
The self-deportation app’s launch has sparked debate over its effectiveness and whether it serves as a genuine option or a veiled threat, as the administration accelerates its immigration agenda.
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