Trump: "Leave now." Database automated to speed up deportations

The United States government is moving forward with a profound restructuring of its immigration system. This week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed the modernization of the federal SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements) system, a database used to verify the immigration status of foreign nationals.

According to the statement, search fees will be eliminated, bulk searches will be allowed, and criminal records will be integrated, with the stated goal of speeding up deportations and preventing fraud.

But the measure doesn't come alone. In parallel, the DHS itself posted a direct message on social media: "Go away now"If you do not self-deport, we will hunt you down, arrest you, and deport you," the agency warned, citing President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

In addition, they promote the download of the application CBP Home, which allows undocumented migrants to register to leave the country voluntarily.

.@POTUS Trump and @Sec_Noem have a clear message to those in our country illegally: LEAVE NOW. If you do not self-deport, we will hunt you down, arrest you, and deport you.

Download the FREE CBP Home app today to self-deport. pic.twitter.com/qHMoS8g7kh

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) April 22, 2025

From SAVE to CBP Home: A more agile, and more feared, system

The SAVE system has existed since 1987 and was created to verify whether a foreigner was eligible for public benefits. Today, under the Trump administration, its use is expanding with a different rationale: more aggressive immigration enforcement, interoperability with criminal justice systems, and the elimination of bureaucratic barriers to quickly expel those without valid legal status.

Although presented as a technological upgrade, civil rights organizations have warned that this automation could facilitate mass arrests without judicial oversight. "They're eliminating due process in the name of efficiency," an ACLU attorney charged.

DHS will work with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to implement the changes "in the short term," according to media outlets such as Fox News.

Self-deportation cases increase

Faced with a climate of fear, the number of migrants choosing to leave rather than be arrested is growing. Recent reports from the Los Angeles Times document the case of Celeste's, a Peruvian woman who arrived in the United States on a tourist visa two decades ago. She lived, worked, and studied in California, but is now preparing to return to Peru voluntarily. “I prefer to leave with something than with nothing,” she told the outlet.

Elena, a Mexican mother and grandmother living in Southern California, plans to return to Chiapas for Christmas. “My heart is breaking. I’ve seen entire families board planes, handcuffed like criminals. I don’t want that to happen to me,” she confessed.

María, another Mexican woman, has lived in the Coachella Valley for 30 years. She, too, has decided to return to Michoacán. “It’s like I’ve been split in two,” she said. “I’m not happy here, but I’m not happy there either.”

A total control system

Since January, the Trump administration removed the CBP One app—used during the Biden era to manage asylum appointments—and replaced it with CBP Home, centered on self-deportation. The plan, the president told Fox News, would even include a small stipend and airfare for those who decide to leave on their own.

It's not just undocumented immigrants who are being pressured. Migrants who entered legally through CBP One have begun receiving messages notifying them of the revocation of their temporary status and demanding their immediate departure.

While the Supreme Court temporarily halts some deportations, such as those of Venezuelans under the Enemy Aliens Act of 1798, the immigration system continues to operate swiftly and without nuance. The message seems clear: anyone who doesn't self-deport will be located and expelled.