The Trump administration has changed a mobile app, originally created to help with asylum appointments, into a tool for undocumented migrants to voluntarily leave the United States.
The app, now called CBP Home, will allow migrants to submit an “intent to depart” form, giving them the opportunity to leave the country without facing “harsher consequences.”
According to BBC News, the U.S. government is encouraging undocumented migrants to voluntarily depart the country instead of being arrested and deported.
This new move is part of the White House’s broader immigration strategy, which has included efforts to overhaul the U.S. immigration system and promises of mass detentions.
What the CBP home app offers
The app was originally launched in 2020 under the name CBP One. The Biden administration later expanded its use to allow prospective migrants to book appointments at U.S. ports of entry.
At the time, officials saw the app as a tool to help reduce border detentions and assist asylum seekers in making safer, less dangerous journeys.
Now rebranded as CBP Home, the app allows undocumented migrants to identify themselves and declare their intention to leave the United States. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) hopes this will encourage migrants to leave voluntarily.
Homeland security secretary’s statement
Reports inform that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that self-deporting through the app would give migrants “the opportunity to return legally in the future and live the American dream.”
She warned, however, that failure to self-deport would lead to deportation and a permanent ban on reentry. “If they don’t self-deport, we will find them, deport them, and they will never be able to return,” Noem said.
Additional App features and requirements
The CBP Home app also asks migrants whether they have “enough money to depart the United States” and whether they possess a “valid, unexpired passport from their country of citizenship.”
The app allows users to apply for and pay for I-94 entry and exit cards, which can be used for up to seven days before departure. It also provides services for booking inspections for perishable cargo and checking wait times at U.S. border crossings.
The rebranding of the app, as stated, is part of a larger shift in U.S. immigration policy. The Trump administration has accelerated efforts to scrap previous immigration measures, including pausing parole programs. Additionally, there has been an uptick in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.
What to know
In late February, the administration announced plans to create a national registry for undocumented migrants. Those who fail to register could face criminal prosecution.
The registration would require all undocumented migrants aged 14 and older to provide their U.S. address and fingerprints. Reports inform that Experts have raised concerns about the feasibility of this registration system, citing enforcement challenges and logistical issues.
