Experts on Long Island urge caution for immigrants considering self-deportation

Immigrants in the country illegally are unlikely to be rushing to sign up for the Trump administration’s $1,000 cash stipend in exchange for leaving the country, and those considering it should be questioning whether self-deportation will allow them to return to the United States one day, immigration experts on Long Island said.

As part of President Donald Trump's mass deportation effort, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently announced it would allow immigrants to voluntarily "self deport" back to their home country while providing a $1,000 stipend plus travel assistance through a mobile application. After vetting people, the government would help some people secure travel documents and book travel tickets for those who cannot afford it themselves.

According to DHS, tickets have been booked for this week and next, and one immigrant without legal status has already flown to Honduras from Chicago. Email inquiries seeking more information about the program were not returned. It was unclear if any Long Island residents registered under the program.

But local experts do not expect the new program to drive a flood of interest and expressed several concerns, including how the program will allow immigrants to return to the United States. Under federal law, when immigrants without legal status leave the country, it typically triggers a 10-year bar for reentry, depending on how long they have been in the country unlawfully, immigration lawyers told Newsday. 

Brentwood-based attorney Eric Horn said the bar would apply to people who self-deport using the app. 

"There is no mechanism in place for people to return sooner. That could only be approved by Congress," Horn said, adding that some immigrants face permanent blocks to reentry when they leave.

Kyce Siddiqi, a Floral Park-based immigration lawyer, said the new self deport initiative gives people a false sense of hope.

"These one thousand bucks sounds like it's misleading people into believing that they could actually return," Siddiqi said. 

$1,000 stipend and travel assistance

The program is expected to slash the $17,121 price tag that comes with arresting, detaining and removing an immigrant without legal status by 70%, according to a DHS release. The release says the self-deportation process "may help preserve the option" for reentry to the United States. Immigration surged during the pandemic under the Biden administration.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem recently said in a statement that the CBP Home app gives immigrants the option to self-deport, "so they may still have the opportunity to return legally in the future and live the American dream."

On Monday, Trump also said the program is a way for people who entered the country illegally to avoid other ramifications.

"We're going to get them a beautiful flight back to where they came from, and they have a period of time, and if they make it, we're going to work with them so that maybe someday, with a little work, they can come back in," Trump said. 

While several local immigration experts acknowledged the need for immigration reform, they said the program doesn't offer meaningful solutions and said immigrants should seek legal advice before opting in.

David Dyssegaard Kallick, director of the Manhattan-based nonprofit Immigration Research Initiative, which studies the economic, social and cultural inclusion of immigrants in the United States, called the plan "misguided."

"It trivializes the issue to suggest that people are going to say, 'Oh, I see,' and just pick up and leave," Kallick said. "Would you go to a place where your children's life is in danger for $1,000? I don't think that's going to happen."

How the self-deportation app works

Immigrants register to self-deport through the CBP Home App, which is run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and was revamped in March to facilitate people’s voluntary departure. During the Biden administration, the app was called CBP One and migrants used it to apply for asylum and thousands of border appointments were made, The Associated Press reported.

Siddiqi said the initiative could undermine people’s due process rights, particularly for those who have applied for asylum and other protected status. 

"A lot of immigrants who I have gathered with ... have ways of getting status again. So when the administration is pressuring vulnerable individuals to forgo their protections, I think that is heartbreaking," Siddiqi said. 

There’s also the issue of how people will get paid, experts said. According to Homeland Security, the $1,000 stipend is sent through the app after the person's return to their home country has been confirmed. The app automatically confirms departure dates for people traveling by air or sea. But several lawyers questioned what recourses people who are no longer in the country will have to ensure that money is received. 

"I have serious concerns about whether payment will be forthcoming even for those who try to take advantage of this proposed program," said Alexander Holtzman, director of the Deportation Defense Clinic at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University.

"How would somebody obtain the $1,000 payment if they've already left? How would they enforce that request for payment?" said Holtzman, who also teaches at Hofstra. 

The government's self-deportation effort expects people who register to return home within 21 days of approval, according to DHS. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has a six-step reference guide on how to voluntarily self-deport using the app. Among the steps, people are instructed to submit a photo of themselves and provide biographical information. In a section with frequently asked questions, people are told that by self-deporting, they can "avoid ICE detention and immediate removal."

Garden City attorney Ashish Kapoor said he is skeptical of how personal data and other information will be stored and used in the app.

"There's a lot more to it. I would be very cautious," Kapoor said.