Aditya Vaibhav | Team TrickyScribe: In a dramatic reversal of its predecessor’s policies, the Trump administration has transformed the controversial CBP One app—once a gateway for migrants seeking entry—into CBP Home, an app designed to facilitate self-deportation. Launched today, the app signals a stark shift in the federal government’s approach to immigration enforcement.
From Entry Portal to Exit Strategy
Under the Biden administration, the CBP One app was a lifeline for migrants, allowing them to schedule asylum appointments and gain legal entry into the U.S. Now, its successor, CBP Home, offers a different proposition: leave voluntarily, or risk forced deportation. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), any migrant who previously downloaded CBP One will see their app automatically update to the new version—one that now helps the government track and remove them.
How It Works: A Digital Ticket Home
The CBP Home app allows undocumented migrants to register for self-deportation by submitting their biographical details, alien registration numbers, country of origin, intended destination, and contact information. Users can even upload a selfie to confirm their identity before officially requesting removal from the U.S.
Why Would Migrants Choose to Self-Deport?
For many, the choice is stark: leave now on their own terms or face permanent exile. In a statement to FOX News, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem explained the administration’s rationale.
“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. If they don’t, we will find them, we will deport them, and they will never return.”
The policy aims to incentivize voluntary departures, reducing the financial and logistical burden on ICE, which can then focus its resources on apprehending and removing criminal aliens.
Numbers Behind the Shift
CBP data reveals that during the Biden administration, between 40,000 and 50,000 migrants per month were entering the U.S. via the CBP One app, totaling nearly one million admissions by the end of Biden’s presidency. Trump shut the program down on his first day in office, leaving thousands of migrants stranded at the border, many in tears after learning their appointments had been canceled.
A Policy Reversal with a Political Edge
The repurposing of CBP One into CBP Home is not just a bureaucratic shift—it’s a political statement. By taking a key Biden-era policy and flipping it on its head, the Trump administration is making clear that its approach to immigration will be defined by enforcement rather than expansion. Critics argue it’s a harsh and punitive measure, while supporters hail it as a necessary step to restore order at the border.
The Way Ahead!
With CBP Home live now, the coming months will test whether migrants choose to self-deport or attempt to evade authorities. One thing is certain: the Biden-era immigration playbook has been not just discarded, but weaponized for an entirely different goal.
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