President Donald Trump delivered a message to those who entered the U.S. illegally: “Leave now using the CBP Home app — or be removed under tough enforcement.”
The White House posted a video on Tuesday featuring the president introducing the Department of Homeland Security’s newest asylum phone app, CBP Home.
The controversial app was released last week when DHS Secretary Kristi Noem warned those in the country illegally that her agency would track them down if they refused to self-deport.
The new app offers individuals residing illegally in the country an opportunity to leave on their own terms, with the potential to reenter legally in the future.
“People in our country illegally can self-deport the easy way, or they can get deported the hard way,” Trump said in the video. “And that’s not pleasant.”
Trump said the app is a response to the Biden administration’s previous use of its CBP One app that Trump said allowed more than one million undocumented immigrants to enter the U.S. illegally.
He said he believes the new app offers a safer and a more efficient solution for both immigrants and law enforcement.
“Using the CBP Home app to leave the United States voluntarily is the safest option for illegal aliens, our law enforcement,” Trump said. “It also saves the U.S. taxpayer dollars and valuable CBP and ICE resources.”
Individuals who use the app to leave voluntarily retain the possibility of returning legally to the U.S. in the future, Trump said. However, those who refuse to comply will face permanent expulsion with no chance of reentry.
“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. You’re never coming in,” he said.
The CBP Home app is available for free download in all major mobile app stores. Trump encouraged those residing in the United States illegally to utilize the app as an opportunity to depart voluntarily.
“Do it right and come back into our country,” he said. “Do it wrong and you’ll never be back again.”
Moments after Trump took office, the CBP One app stopped allowing migrants to apply for asylum, and tens of thousands of border appointments were canceled.
More than 900,000 people were allowed in the country on immigration parole under CBP One, generally for two years, starting in January 2023, the White House has said.
Editor’s note: Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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