‘Do it the easy way, or get deported the hard way’: Trump urges illegal aliens to self-deport using CBP Home app

"The people in our country illegally can self-deport the easy way," Trump said, "or they can get deported the hard way, and that's not pleasant. The Biden administration exploited the CBP One app to allow more than 1 million aliens to illegally enter the United States. Now my administration is launching the CBP Home app to give people in our country illegally an easy way to leave now and self-deport voluntarily."

"If they do, they 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, you're never coming in," Trump said.

The CBP One app was created under the first Trump administration to facilitate the quick import of perishable goods to the US. The way it worked was that a vendor of perishable goods could use the app to make an appointment at a port of entry to avoid long waits for the importation of those goods.

The Biden administration remade the app for use by migrants who sought to come to the United States. Under the Biden administration, a migrant from another nation, one specified by the administration, could make an appointment to surrender themselves at a port of entry. The migrant would be approved for that appointment, make their way to the US at the appointed time, surrender themselves, receive a court date, and be released into the US.

The app was specifically used by the Biden administration to decrease the number of illegal immigrant border crossers at the US-Mexico border while still allowing in many more migrants. The use of the app was also a way to adjust the language surrounding illegal immigration by increasing the semi-legal modes of entry and adding more semi-legal statuses for those illegal immigrants in the country.

Trump has now remade the app again to aid those in the country without adequate legal status to self-deport after launching a mass deportation effort. That effort has been focusing on people who have criminal records in addition to the illegal border crossing.

Additionally, the Trump administration has been using AI to search social media to identify those immigrants who do have legal status, such as student visa, H1B visa, or green card holders, and have posts sympathizing with terrorists or terrorist ideology. A Lebanese doctor practicing in Rhode Island and a recent Columbia master's grad who led student protests against Israel have been targeted for deportation.

"Using the CBP Home app to leave the United States voluntarily is the safest option for illegal aliens, our law enforcement," Trump continued. "This also saves the US taxpayer dollars and valuable CBP and ICE resources, and all of those resources are necessary to focus on dangerous criminal aliens, and that's what we're focused on. The CBP Home app is now available free across all mobile app stores, and I encourage those who have violated our laws to use this option today. Do it right and come back into our country. Do it wrong, and you'll never be back again."