Key Takeaways
• Self-deportation flyers distributed in immigration courts since April 2025 prompt concern among immigrants and legal advocates.
• Flyers omit information about appeal rights, risking hasty departures with severe penalties and misunderstood legal options.
• Legal groups urge recipients to consult attorneys immediately and document flyer impact for potential appeals or reopened hearings.
In the spring of 2025, a series of colorful flyers appeared in immigration courts throughout the United States 🇺🇸, causing worry among immigrants, their lawyers, and even some citizens. The flyers, produced and distributed by the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, carried bold messages urging people to consider “self-deportation.” As reported by VisaVerge.com, these flyers have become a flashpoint for debate, raising important concerns about the rights of immigrants and the fairness of the U.S. immigration system.
What Do the Deportation Flyers Say?
Starting in April and May 2025, the Executive Office for Immigration Review began distributing the flyers—titled “Message to Illegal Aliens: A Warning To Self-Deport”—in court lobbies, courtrooms, and inside paperwork sent to people facing removal. With bright red and blue colors and the seal of the Justice Department front and center, the flyers catch people’s attention right away.
Key statements in the flyers include:
– “Self-deportation is safe. Leave on your own terms by picking your departure flight.”
– “Keep money earned in the U.S. if you self-deport as a non-criminal illegal alien.”
– Suggestions that those who leave on their own may be allowed to re-enter later through legal immigration programs.
For people facing removal hearings, these flyers may stand out even more than information from their lawyers or judges. But legal experts quickly pointed out serious problems with how the flyers are written and what they leave out.
Why the Flyers Are Causing Concern
From the moment these flyers appeared, immigration lawyers and advocacy groups began warning that the information is both confusing and misleading.
First, the language does not explain the complicated paths within immigration law. Many people in court have different legal situations—some have pending applications for asylum, cancellation of removal, or other legal relief. Others already have valid immigration status or are appealing their removal cases. The flyers, however, use broad language that fails to make these important differences clear.
Attorneys like Dojaquez-Torres have described situations where even people who won their asylum cases get these flyers, calling them “illegal aliens” and suggesting they must leave. As she tells it, this adds to already high levels of confusion and stress in courtrooms across the country.
Legal and Due Process Risks
Many experts argue that by omitting key facts, the flyers undermine core rights that both immigrants and citizens are promised under the law. These rights are known as “due process protections,” and they are written into the U.S. Constitution.
Missing Protections and Real Consequences
The flyers do not tell people they have the right to appeal a judge’s decision and cannot be removed while that appeal is still active. Put simply, if someone loses their case, they are not always required to leave right away; they may have time to appeal. By not explaining this, the flyers might pressure people to leave the U.S. when they still have legal options.
In addition, the phrase “immediate deportation” is used, but not explained. For a person without legal training, this could sound like a threat, even if their case is not final or if they are not subject to this kind of removal.
There’s also no mention of other important legal details, such as:
– Protections for people on bond who are out of detention
– Legal standards about when someone can be re-detained by immigration authorities
– What happens to property, jobs, or family left behind by someone who chooses self-deportation
Serious Penalties from Self-Deportation
If someone reads the flyer and decides to leave, thinking it will help their future immigration chances, they might actually hurt themselves in the long run. Here are some real risks:
– Removal in Absentia: If a person leaves the U.S. before their hearing and misses it, the judge can order them removed “in absentia.” That means they’re not present for the hearing. Under U.S. law (INA §212(a)(6)(B)), this can mean a 5-year bar with no exceptions; the person cannot legally return for five years.
– 10-Year Inadmissibility Bars: If certain rules are broken, people can face a 10-year bar to returning to the U.S. (INA §212(a)(9)). This is a very strict penalty.
– No Promise of Future Benefits: Just leaving voluntarily does not guarantee there will be no penalties, nor does it make it easier to come back legally. The flyers don’t explain any of this.
Why Due Process Matters for Everyone
These due process guarantees are supposed to protect anyone—immigrant or citizen—facing removal from the country. The 5th Amendment to the Constitution says, “no person shall…be deprived of life, liberty or property, without due process of law.” Courts have consistently held that this protection applies inside immigration courts, too.
United States 🇺🇸 District Judge Lawrence Vilardo recently explained why this matters for all: “When someone’s most basic right of freedom is taken away, that person is entitled to at least some minimal process; otherwise, we all are at risk to be detained—and perhaps deported—because someone in the government thinks we are not supposed to be here.”
This basic promise is why flyers like these have become such a heated topic. If the government can skip or ignore the rights of some, what stops them from doing it to others? That’s a question even U.S. citizens have started to ask.
Judge Stephanie Thacker of the 4th Circuit Court recently warned that “if due process is of no moment, what is stopping the Government from removing and refusing to return a lawful permanent resident or even a natural born citizen?” Her worry shows that the discussion about these flyers is much bigger than just immigration policy.
How This Fits into Broader Immigration Policies
The Trump administration has taken a strict approach to immigration enforcement. Several policies in place now encourage fast removal and aim to limit legal appeals. Examples include:
– Expanding “expedited removal” so people can be quickly deported without a full hearing in front of a judge.
– Executive orders that describe the immigration system as “rife with meritless claims,” suggesting that many immigrants try to stay without good reasons.
– Threats of sanctions against lawyers who defend immigrants, which could scare attorneys away from taking these cases or speaking freely in court.
These policies, along with the self-deportation flyers, are seen by many advocates as ways to weaken due process. Stephen Miller, an adviser to President Trump, summed up the administration’s position by saying: “If you illegally invaded our country the only ‘process’ you are entitled to is deportation.” Such language reflects a belief that rights given under the Constitution do not apply in the same way to immigrants—an idea that legal professionals strongly dispute.
Responses from Legal Community and Advocacy Groups
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and other legal groups have reacted quickly. Their suggestions for attorneys include:
- Make the Flyers Part of the Record: Lawyers are now advised to put copies of these flyers in the official files (“Record of Proceedings”) for each client. This is so that, if an appeal is needed later, the flyers’ advice—or bad effects—can be formally argued.
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Use Client Declarations: If a person made decisions based on information in the flyers and later hired a lawyer, that lawyer may file a written statement from the client. This declaration can explain how the flyer affected their case, and might be used to ask for a hearing to be reopened.
Legal experts remind everyone that immigration status does not take away basic rights. Everyone in the country—no matter their documents—has the right to:
– Remain silent when questioned by authorities
– Speak with a lawyer
– Refuse to allow a search without a warrant
– Be given fair procedures if detained or facing removal
Voices from Inside Immigration Courts
Attorneys who work daily inside immigration courts have described the atmosphere as even more tense and confusing since the flyers appeared. With so many people uncertain about their legal standing, judges are seeing more questions and, sometimes, more people leaving the country out of fear.
One area of especially high worry is for those who have recently been granted relief—like asylum. These individuals, who have fought through long legal battles and won, are now being given flyers warning them to self-deport anyway. The potential for mix-ups, wrongful removals, or unnecessary departures is real.
The flyers also use phrases like “non-criminal illegal alien” which are broad and unclear. Many people who have only minor legal issues or are waiting on case decisions could easily assume they’re required to leave, even if that’s not the law.
The Ongoing Situation: Are the Flyers Still Distributed?
As of June 2025, advocacy groups and lawyers report that these self-deportation flyers are still being seen in immigration courts around the country. The Justice Department has not given a clear answer on whether they will keep sharing these flyers, nor have there been any new public statements about removing or changing them.
Congress, for its part, has not taken up the issue with new laws. That means for now, the flyers remain a daily reality for thousands of people coming to immigration courts.
You can read more about official procedures and rights in immigration court directly from the Executive Office for Immigration Review, the office that oversees these courts.
The Debate Continues
As distribution continues, the fight grows over both the accuracy and intent of the self-deportation flyers. Supporters of strict immigration enforcement say the flyers are just providing useful advice to help people avoid more serious penalties. Critics see them as a targeted way to pressure people into giving up their right to a fair hearing and leaving before all options are explored.
The balance between enforcing laws and protecting the rights promised by the Constitution is at the heart of this debate. For immigrants, their families, and the wider public, these flyers serve as a reminder that what happens in immigration court touches everyone’s basic freedoms.
Looking Ahead: What Should Immigrants and Lawyers Do?
For now, attorneys strongly recommend that anyone who receives one of these deportation flyers seeks immediate legal advice. Acting too quickly could mean giving up important rights or harming the ability to return to the U.S. later.
It’s also important to remember:
– You have the right to be treated fairly under the law, even in immigration court.
– Any paperwork or flyers received should be shared with your lawyer.
– No one should feel pressured to leave or make big decisions without understanding all their legal options.
As the legal fight goes on, immigrants and citizens alike are watching what happens next. The way the Justice Department and Executive Office for Immigration Review handle this issue will continue to shape beliefs about fairness, rights, and the meaning of due process in America. Everyone is waiting to see whether the country will strengthen—or weaken—the promise of justice for all.
Learn Today
Self-Deportation → When a non-citizen voluntarily leaves the U.S. instead of undergoing formal removal proceedings or waiting for a court order.
Due Process Protections → Legal rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, ensuring fair procedures before someone’s liberty, property, or rights are taken.
Removal in Absentia → Deportation order issued when the immigrant fails to appear at their immigration hearing, resulting in a ban from reentry.
Expedited Removal → A fast-track deportation process allowing authorities to remove individuals without a full court hearing.
Executive Office for Immigration Review → A division of the Department of Justice overseeing immigration courts and responsible for fairly conducting removal proceedings.
This Article in a Nutshell
In spring 2025, striking self-deportation flyers appeared in U.S. immigration courts, alarming immigrants, lawyers, and advocates. The flyers, blaming “illegal aliens,” omit key due process rights, risk wrongful departures, and spark national debate about fairness in immigration law. Experts urge immediate legal consultation before making life-altering decisions.
— By VisaVerge.com
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