Below is general information about the CBP Home App, and it does not constitute legal advice. Nothing stated below is intended to take away a non-citizen's Fifth Amendment Right against self-incrimination (to remain silent). Please be sure to consult with a competent immigration attorney.
What is CBP One?
CBP One was an app used to schedule an appointment to enter the U.S. to seek asylum at designated ports of entry on the southwest border. It was put in effect in May 2023 under the Circumvention of Lawful Pathways regulation. With limited appointment allotments, individuals often had to wait for months or travel to distant ports of entry for these appointments. Litigation challenging the use of CBP One as the exclusive means to access asylum is still pending. On January 20, 2025, President Trump terminated CBP One, abruptly cancelling tens of thousands of appointments that took months to schedule, stranding countless asylum-seekers in Mexico.
CBP One app also allowed individuals eligible for population-specific humanitarian parole program (e.g. Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, Venezuelan [CHNV] parole) to undertake the screening process before arriving in the United States. The CBP One App also provides individuals with no other travel documents to fly domestically to use the app to verify their identity.
From CBP One to CBP Home
On March 12, 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published on its website a rebrand from CBP One to “CBP Home.” The CBP Home app aligned its focus to parallel the broader efforts of the new administration to expel immigrants from the United States. It’s no coincidence that CBP updated its page on CBP Home a few days before the announcement of the multi-million ad campaign commanding immigrants to “self deport.” To up the ante, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on May 5, 2025, that those who elect to leave voluntarily and use the CBP Home app to confirm their departure can receive a stipend of $1,000. Although this offer is appealing, let’s discuss why you, if you are without permanent immigration status in the U.S., should be cautious before making the decision to depart the U.S.
What are the details of the $1,000 departure incentive?
The CBP Home app currently offers the following services:
- Intent to Depart – Permits those who wish to depart the U.S. to notify the U.S. Government of their intent to leave.
- Check Border Wait Times
- Apply for a Provisional I-94 Entry – Pay for an arrival/departure record prior to arriving in the U.S. The I-94 form documents the travel history of the individuals that one can generally access on-line at the CBP website.
- Request an Inspection of Agriculture or Biological Products – A method for those traveling to the U.S. to request an inspection of livestock, food items, and other relevant items to declare.
- Submit a Travelers Manifest for Bus Operators – Allows users to create and submit an advance traveler manifest.
The $1,000 travel stipend incentive relates to the “Intent to Depart” function of CBP Home. The incentive offer those who opt to depart U.S. the stipend AFTER their return to their home country has been confirmed. (The latest Presidential Proclamation also adds travel assistance as an additional incentive.) The $1,000 travel stipend incentive is available to (1) non-criminal undocumented people in the U.S. who have encountered CBP at ports of entry or between ports of entry and (2) people with categorical parole. Additionally, being in immigration proceedings or having been deported before does not exclude those who qualify from the program. You will need to provide your personal details (including A Number, Country of Origin, and Country of Destination), contact information, and a photo of your face. For more details, visit this DHS Website.
Is this offer too good to be true?
It is important to note that only an immigration judge can order someone to be deported. “Deportation” implies that one has been afforded due process to challenge the government’s attempt to deport them by presenting removal defense and claims for immigration relief in an immigration court, and an immigration judge has decided on his case. There is no such thing as “self-deporting.” If one chooses to leave the U.S., one leaves, departs, NOT DEPORTS.
Why should I be careful?
Before considering this program, it is important to consider the following:
- Depart or not depart?
There are many reasons to be weary during these uncertain times with shifting immigration policies that make leaving the U.S. appealing. It is important to consider the following issues before you decide to depart:
a. Claim abandonment – if you have pending application for immigration relief such as asylum, adjustment of status, or other immigraiton relief, your departure from the U.S. could mean that you are abandoning these claims.
b. Unlawful presence bar – if you have been in the U.S. without permission for longer than 180 days or 365 days, your departure from the U.S. may trigger a three-year or ten-year bar from re-entry should you have a basis to return to the U.S, in the future, such as a family petition or employment petition, unless you have successfully obtained a waiver.
c. In absentia removal order – if you are in removal proceeding, leaving the U.S. without first granted voluntary departure may result in an in-absentia removal (deportation) order if you miss subsequent court dates. A deportation order will result in a 10-year bar from re-entry even if you have lawful pathways to return to the U.S.
d. Re-entry criminal prosecution - You may run the risk of potential criminal prosecution for re-entering the U.S. in the future without prior approval if there was a removal order (includes voluntary departure) against you. Prior orders of removal may also be reinstated against you when you re-enter the U.S.
2. Is the offer legitimate?
In the short span of this administration, immigration matters have been constantly mishandled and those who are tangled with immigration operations have had their rights undermined. For example, Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a father of three who resided in the United States legally with a valid withholding of removal issued by an immigration judge a few years ago. He was erroneously returned to El Salvador’s CECOT prison after falsely being associated with MS-13. Instead of complying with the court order to bring him back, the administration intensified the campaign to malign him and discouraged efforts to return him. Other examples involve hundreds of Venezuelans removed to the military base in Guantanamo Bay and subsequently to Venezuela without afforded the chance to present asylum claims in court. Still others were sent to CECOT in defiance of a judge’s order to turn the planes back. Even U.S. Citizen children have been removed from the U.S. without the chance for custody arrangements be made. With this track record, one should be cautious in considering this latest incentive offering $1,000 stipend AFTER they leave the U.S. and provide substantial personal information to proof their departure.
The administration appears to offer this incentive as it struggles to meet its campaign promise of mass deportation. Other than a simplistic slogan that it is more dignified to depart voluntarily than being arrested and deported, there is little information on the details of its implementation. It is important to determine your own eligibility carefully and review requirements for this stipend. As always, we recommend you consult with a competent immigration attorney before taking any action.
References
- CBP One: An Overview, (March 24, 2025), https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/cbp-one-overview
- Daily State of Play: Trump’s Indefinite Refugee Ban and Funding Halt, (May 13, 2025), https://cwsglobal.org/blog/daily-state-of-play-trumps-indefinite-refugee-ban-and-funding-halt/
- DHS Announces Historic Travel Assistance and Stipend for Voluntary Self-Deportation, (May 5, 2025), https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/05/05/dhs-announces-historic-travel-assistance-and-stipend-voluntary-self-deportation
- CBP Home, https://www.dhs.gov/cbphome
- CBP Home: Submit Intent to Depart – Quick Reference Guide, https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/2025-03/cbp_home_sitd_qrg_march_2025.pdf
- What we know about Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador, (April 18, 2025), https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/kilmar-abrego-garcia-deported-el-salvador-trump-immigration-what-know-rcna201708
- The unlawful abduction and imprisonment of Kilmar Abrego Garcia puts all workers in peril, (April 22, 2025), https://www.epi.org/blog/the-unlawful-abduction-and-imprisonment-of-kilmar-abrego-garcia-puts-all-workers-in-peril/
- Three US citizen children, one with cancer, deported to Honduras, lawyers say, (April 28, 2025), https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g8yj2n33yo
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