The president said that individuals who voluntarily leave will be able to ‘potentially’ be able to return in the future.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday urged immigrants living in the United States to voluntarily “self-deport” rather than face possible immigration enforcement as part of a social media campaign.
“People in our country illegally can self-deport the easy way, or they can get deported the hard way. And that’s not pleasant,” Trump said in a video uploaded to social media on Tuesday.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump urged illegal immigrants to download the repurposed CBP Home app by Customs and Border Protection, adding that it will save “U.S. taxpayer dollars.”
Trump said that illegal immigrants who leave the United States voluntarily “could potentially have the opportunity to return legally at some point in the future, but if they do not avail themselves of this opportunity, then they will be found.”
“They will be deported, and they will never be admitted again to the United States, ever, ever again,” the president warned.
The app was unveiled earlier this month. It effectively replaced an app called CBP One that was used by the Biden administration to allow would-be illegal immigrants the ability to schedule an appointment to request parole entry at a border crossing. Trump removed the app as soon as he took office on Jan. 20.
“President Trump has a clear message for those that are in our country illegally. Leave now. If you don’t, we will find you and we will deport you. You will never return,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a separate video released on Tuesday.
“The choice is yours. America welcomes those who respect our laws. Because a strong nation is a safe nation.”
Trump’s ad blitz began days after the administration invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act in a bid to speed up deportations, a move that was blocked by a federal judge in Washington over the past weekend. However, hundreds of illegal immigrants were deported to El Salvador after the judge ordered deportation flights to be turned around, administration officials later confirmed.
The proclamation to invoke the act was in response to “the invasion of the United States” by transnational Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, the White House said. The group, as well as Salvadoran gang MS-13 and multiple Mexican drug cartels, were designated as foreign terrorist organizations weeks ago.
Early in the Trump administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials posted daily updates to social media on how many alleged illegal immigrants were arrested or detained. However, the agency stopped doing so in late January.
On March 13, Homeland Security said in a statement that more than 32,000 illegal immigrants have been arrested by ICE in the first 50 days Trump has been in office. Of that figure, over 14,000 were convicted criminals and nearly 10,000 have pending criminal cases against them.
The statement added that 1,155 criminal gang members were arrested, and 39 known suspected terrorists were also arrested.
During his 2024 campaign, Trump vowed to make mass deportations of illegal immigrants a priority. After he won the election, administration officials such as border czar Tom Homan have said that they want to first focus on individuals with criminal records or who are threats to public safety.