BOSTON — The federal government’s program for people to voluntarily self-deport has been live since March, though it appears some users are experiencing delays.
It comes after the federal government released nationwide ads encouraging self-deportation through the CBP Home app. In the advertisement targeted toward undocumented immigrants, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem says, “You will receive financial assistance, a free flight, and the chance to come back to America legally.”
While there are big things promised in that process, it seems users are having difficulty. Boston 25 spoke with someone looking to self-deport. They said they went through the CBP Home app, filed an application, and were invited to go downtown for an interview where they provided all their personal information, including their fingerprints. However, after months passed by, they haven’t received an update.
Melissa Celli, an immigration lawyer with Strehorn Ryan & Hoose said she hasn’t seen much proof of the CBP Home app delivering on its promise.
“It is a very worrying time, and it’s getting kind of increasingly worrying,” Celli said. “We don’t have regulations. There is nothing in the Code of Federal Regulations. There’s nothing in statute because this is not a legally mandated program.”
Celli said this process has been taking an awfully long time. Long enough that people are starting to get worried.
“They have then given up a whole lot of personal information and now their names are out there, their addresses are out there, now their fingerprints are out there and there’s nothing to stop ICE from coming and grabbing them as low hanging fruit other than their word saying they’re not going to do this,” Celli explained.
It comes at a time when the federal government is ramping up immigration enforcement in Massachusetts. Governor Maura Healey said Monday that the enforcement campaign is negatively impacting hardworking people in Massachusetts.
“While they said they were after violent criminals, what we’ve seen far too often and in such great numbers here and across the country are construction workers and nannies and healthcare aids and agricultural workers who are being taken out of our communities,” Gov. Healey said.
Also, with sanctuary cities under the microscope, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has also been pushing back against the federal government’s efforts.
Mayor Wu said in a response to a DOJ’s letter on Aug. 19, “Stop attacking our cities to hide your administration’s failures.”
Boston25 reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to learn more about the self-deportation process and exactly what metrics they’re seeing since the app’s launch.
DHS responded with the following statement:
“After successfully ending the invasion of our country and securing our southern border, President Trump established the visionary Project Homecoming in May to create a smooth, efficient process for illegal aliens to return home. By using the CBP Home App, illegal aliens will receive a complimentary one-way plane ticket home, a $1,000 exit bonus, and forgiveness of any fines previously assessed for failure to depart. Tens of thousands of illegal aliens have utilized the CBP Home app, and 1.6 million illegal immigrants have left the United States population since January 20.
Once illegal aliens submit their intent to depart through the CBP Home Mobile App and pass vetting, they will be deprioritized by ICE for enforcement action, detention and removal before their scheduled departure.”
— DHS spokesperson
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