A young man, pregnant A woman from Venezuela came to the United States without papers last year. After giving birth and settling in Ohio, she found that trying to stay in the country was too difficult. She had no family support for herself and her newborn, and struggled to find work and housing. So he decided to sacrifice himself.
The Trump administration is practically begging immigrants to self-deport the United States. It risks self-deportation, or the wrath of ICE, the nation’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, the White House said.
But self-deportation was nearly impossible for this woman and others like her, lawyers and immigration activists told Wired. US government guidance for those who have decided to self-deport is confusing and sparse, leaving many immigration attorneys and advocates in the dark. Some migrants trying to leave the country voluntarily through government-sanctioned measures say they find themselves stranded or worse.
CBP Home, the Customs and Border Protection app that’s supposed to help immigrants self-deport, is only marginally helpful, and it leads some immigrants to a confusing and drawn-out bureaucratic process, said Jessica Ramos, an immigration attorney practicing in Ohio who represents the stranded woman. That, combined with little help from the US government, made getting out of the US “an odyssey,” Ramos claimed.
The Trump administration wants immigrants to sacrifice themselves
Ramos’ client, who asked to remain anonymous but allowed her story to be shared, does not have a Venezuelan passport or money for a flight. He said he filled out his information on the CBP Home app, then received a notice that he would receive a call from the U.S. government to help arrange his departure. He said the call did not come.
It’s not what it’s supposed to be: In March, the Department of Homeland Security released CBP HomeWhich theoretically facilitates self-deportation, providing a form for undocumented immigrants to fill out. It is ticket booking, penalty waiver, “expense-free travel” and a for those who need assistance $1,000 bonus. People who use the app are not supposed to have a criminal history and they should “Temporarily Deprived” of Detention and Deportation. Initially, CBP Home was advertised as an all-in-one app that would help with everything from travel documents to financial assistance.
Immigration has become central to the Trump administration’s policy agenda, and the White House has heavily encouraged immigrants to leave the United States of their own volition. On May 9, the White House announced project homecoming, Claims that the government will provide assistance to migrants seeking to leave. According to President’s ProclamationProject Homecoming “promises to facilitate travel for those without valid travel documents, and offers a concierge service at the airport to assist with travel bookings.” These services will eventually be supported, the project said $250 million The government previously used it to support refugees. A statement Issued in October, DHS claimed that more than 1.6 million people “voluntarily self-deported” in 2025.
“Getting clear information from the government has proven very difficult,” said Jennifer Ibanez Whitlock, senior policy counsel at the National Immigration Law Council.