President Trump calls for voluntary departure of undocumented immigrants amidst the launch of a new mobile app for deportation notifications.
On March 18, 2025, U.S. President
Donald Trump issued a call for the voluntary departure of undocumented immigrants currently residing in the United States.
This announcement came via a video released on the White House's social media platform, where Trump highlighted the launch of a new mobile application aimed at facilitating the deportation process for immigrants facing removal under U.S. law.
The new app, called CBP Home, is designed to encourage immigrants to register for the application and depart the country voluntarily.
In the video, Trump emphasized the choice faced by undocumented immigrants: "People in our country can choose the easy way to leave voluntarily, or the hard way will happen, and that is not pleasant."
In his statement, Trump promised that those who opt for voluntary departure might find opportunities to return legally in the future, unlike those who are removed forcefully, as the latter would be barred from reentering the United States permanently.
Trump also reiterated that his administration had terminated the previous mobile application established during the presidency of
Joe Biden, known as CBP One.
The CBP One application had allowed over one million ineligible immigrants to enter the U.S. without resorting to illegal border crossings.
On the same day, Trump called for the removal of a federal judge who recently ruled against deportation flights transporting members of the Tren de Aragua gang from Venezuela to El Salvador.
In response to the judge's decision, Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary, indicated that two of the flights referenced in the ruling were already outside U.S. airspace at the time the decision was issued.
She reiterated that the Tren de Aragua gang had been designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. President, with the administration handling members of the gang accordingly.
Leavitt also expressed gratitude to the President of El Salvador for offering his country's penal facilities for the housing of criminals deported from the United States.
According to Leavitt, the U.S. government will compensate El Salvador $6 million for the use of their prison system.
In response to the judicial decision regarding the deportation flights, James Boasberg, a federal judge based in Washington, D.C., has requested explanations from the government regarding its noncompliance with the ruling, setting a deadline for responses at noon local time on Tuesday.
In his statements, Trump described unwanted individuals, including many violent criminals, as "evil" and urged the removal of these threats from the U.S., labeling the federal judge as a "radical leftist," "troublemaker," and "agitator."