Fears Over Trump's Announced Immigration Policies Are Driving Migrants to 'Self-deport' Regardless of Legal Status

As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office, fears surrounding his administration's immigration policies are prompting some migrants to leave the United States voluntarily or "self-deport", regardless of their legal status, as a new piece by the Associated Press reports.

Advocates and experts suggest that Trump's rhetoric and the anticipated policies under his administration are creating an atmosphere of uncertainty and fear that is leading to "self-deportation" — a strategy his allies are actively promoting.

In fact, Trump's upcoming "border czar", Thomas Homan suggested back in November that undocumented immigrants should consider "self-deporting" in anticipation of the next administration's planned immigration enforcement measures:

"Criminals and gang members get no grace period. While we're out prioritizing the public safety threats and national security threats, if you wanna self-deport, you should self-deport because, again, we know who you are, and we're gonna come and find you"

Even before the administration takes office, Homan has announced plans for increased workplace raids and suggested a hotline for reporting suspected undocumented immigrants, policies that, along with suggested plans to revoke legal status to individuals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and beneficiaries of CHNV parole initiative, aim to reduce the migrant population through both coercive and voluntary means.

Fear is natural for anyone without permanent legal status, said Melanie Nezer, vice president for advocacy and external relations at the Women's Refugee Commission to The Associated Press. "Many, many people are in this situation," referring to the potential scope. A recent study by FWD.us estimated that nearly 28.2 million U.S. residents, including 19.5 million Latinos, live in mixed-status or undocumented households, leaving many vulnerable to deportation or family separation.

In a piece titled "Fear is the Point" published on The Bulwark on Wednesday, journalist Adrian Carrasquillo took a deep dive into the origins of self-deportation as a policy, which is linked to former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who advocated it during a Florida presidential primary debate in 2012.

As Carrasquillo explains, referencing the anti-deportation non-profit American Immigration Council:

"The American Immigration Council said it was better described at the time as a policy of 'attrition through enforcement' —basically making the lives of undocumented immigrants so unbearable that they have no choice but to leave. The strategy is 'currently embodied in state laws that include provisions denying education, transportation, and even basic services like water and housing to anyone who cannot prove legal immigration status,' the council wrote, arguing states that attempted to roll out this plan did little more than "undermine basic human rights, devastate local economies, and place unnecessary burdens on U.S. citizens and lawful immigrants."

"The fear is the point," National Immigration Forum founder Swartz told Carrasquillo. "The strategy is to squeeze and threaten. The administration can be tied in knots on policies and practices, as opposed to just scaring the shit out of so many people."