Immigration and Customs Enforcement is rolling out a new tactic at the southern border that turns some migrants’ attempts to leave the United States on their own into arrests and formal deportations, according to an internal ICE memo describing “Operation Irish Goodbye.” The plan directs agents to focus on people who are trying voluntary self-removal—leaving the country without being placed into immigration court deportation cases—and to place them instead into detention and removal processes, a shift that immigration lawyers say can sharply raise the long-term penalties for people who thought they were simply going home.
What the memo directs and how it’s carried out
The memo instructs ICE officers, working alongside Customs and Border Protection, to conduct targeted operations at ports of entry along the U.S.–Mexico border, including checks involving commercial buses. It calls for intensified activity during holiday periods, when travel patterns can make it easier to spot people trying to depart quietly.
In practice, advocates say, this means:
– A person who has saved money for a bus ticket and is trying to exit without a court order may be met by agents who treat that departure as an opportunity to generate an arrest and initiate an enforced deportation case.
– Operations will include targeted stops, checks of commercial transportation, and coordination between ICE and CBP personnel.
Officials’ public statements and support
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the strategy during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on December 11, 2025, presenting it as part of President Trump’s deportation campaign and arguing that the rise in voluntary departures shows success. She said:
“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest, and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest.”
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) echoed support at the hearing, praising border enforcement personnel as the administration pursues tougher enforcement outcomes.
Why the change matters: legal consequences
What makes Operation Irish Goodbye particularly consequential is not just the immediate detention, but the legal consequences that follow.
- When a person leaves under voluntary departure and completes it successfully, they may avoid additional “bars” that attach to a formal removal order.
- When ICE detains someone and issues a deportation (removal) order, the person can face reentry bars of 5–20 years or permanently, depending on the case history and type of order.
That difference can effectively close off future legal pathways, even for people who later marry a U.S. citizen or obtain an approved employment petition. Critics argue that converting voluntary exits into deportations changes the legal stakes for people already on their way out.
Numbers, targets, and optics
The administration’s push is also closely tied to optics and statistics. Reporting cited by the source material describes an internal goal to increase the count of removals toward President Trump’s target of 600,000 annually, a figure that would still be below 685,000 in FY2024 under President Biden.
- By reclassifying what might otherwise be a quiet departure as an enforced removal, the government can add to the removal tally while also placing a lasting order on a person’s record.
At the same time, voluntary departure inside the court system has been rising:
– The Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review reported 15,241 voluntary departure grants in the 12 months ending September 30, 2025, up from 8,663 the prior year.
This increase suggests more people are choosing exits that could avoid a formal removal order—either because they see little chance of relief or because they want to preserve a possibility of returning legally later.
Enforcement claims vs. outside data
The administration emphasizes targeting serious criminals, but outside data complicates that picture:
– UC Berkeley’s Deportation Data Project reported ICE arrested nearly 75,000 people with no criminal record under Trump through mid-2025, according to the source material.
– DHS has promoted a “Worst of the Worst” database and claimed 70% of ICE arrests target criminals, a figure disputed by outside data referenced in the same reporting.
For families weighing whether to stay, fight, or leave, these competing claims affect perceived risk—whether at work, on the road, or while trying to depart.
Project Homecoming: a contrasting incentive program
Operation Irish Goodbye arrives alongside a very different, incentive-based program marketed as a safer off-ramp: Project Homecoming.
Key details:
– Launched via a May 2025 presidential proclamation.
– Encourages people to leave through the rebranded CBP Home app.
– Offers government-funded flights and a $1,000 exit bonus, verified after return.
– Funding for flights and the bonus comes from $250 million repurposed from State Department refugee assistance under the 1962 Migration and Refugee Assistance Act.
– More than 5,000 users had registered by April 9, 2025.
– The first government-chartered flight left on May 19, 2025, carrying 64 people to Honduras and Colombia.
Officials have pitched the program bluntly: President Trump suggested self-deporters may receive favorable consideration for future legal return, and Secretary Noem framed it as cheaper than forced deportation, which the administration puts at more than $17,000 per person.
The policy tension: encouraged vs. enforced departures
There is a clear tension between the two messages:
– Leaving is encouraged when done through government-controlled channels (Project Homecoming / CBP Home).
– People who try to depart on their own terms at the border may be treated as enforcement targets (Operation Irish Goodbye).
That tension is why immigration attorneys advise against rushing into self-deportation without full legal screening.
Practical legal requirements and penalties for voluntary departure
Guidance from the National Immigrant Justice Center (October 2025) explains that voluntary departure—when granted—typically requires:
– Good moral character.
– No aggravated felony or terrorism-related issues.
– Valid travel documents.
– Sometimes a $500 bond.
Timeframes and penalties:
– DHS may grant up to 120 days to depart before a court hearing, or 60 days after a case concludes.
– If someone fails to leave on time, the voluntary departure order can convert into removal, with:
– $1,000–$5,000 in fines plus a $3,000 civil penalty.
– Reentry bars that can run 3–10 years.
These conditions mean voluntary departure is not a free pass and carries strict requirements and significant consequences for noncompliance.
Additional enforcement changes that increase risk
The memo-driven effort to detain people as they try to leave adds another layer of risk: a person may not even get the chance to complete voluntary departure because they could be pulled into detention first.
Other policy changes that expand enforcement tools include:
– Expanded expedited removal effective January 21, 2025.
– Mandatory detention under the Laken-Riley Act effective January 29, 2025 for those who entered without inspection.
Each change increases the number of people who can be detained quickly and pushed into fast-track removal processes, limiting time to gather documents, find counsel, or arrange a sponsor for release.
On-the-ground choices and risks
For migrants, choices have narrowed into uneasy options:
1. Stay and risk arrest.
2. Pursue a court case that can take months or years.
3. Attempt to leave and hope departure does not trigger detention.
Analysis by VisaVerge.com highlights that the sharpest new hazard is for people who assume stepping onto a bus headed south is the least confrontational way out—under Operation Irish Goodbye, that decision can end with handcuffs, custody, and a removal order that follows them for years.
The only safe assumption for anyone considering departure is that the manner of leaving can shape the legal outcome as much as the fact of leaving itself.
Where to find official information
People seeking official information about app-based self-departure can find it on CBP’s site for CBP Home.
Summary table: Selected dates, numbers, and penalties
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Operation name | Operation Irish Goodbye |
| Hearing date | December 11, 2025 (House Homeland Security Committee) |
| Trump removals target | 600,000 annually |
| FY2024 removals (Biden) | 685,000 |
| Voluntary departure grants (12 months to 9/30/2025) | 15,241 |
| Voluntary departure grants (prior year) | 8,663 |
| ICE arrests (no criminal record) under Trump through mid-2025 | ~75,000 |
| Project Homecoming funding | $250 million repurposed from MRAC (1962 Act) |
| Project Homecoming exit bonus | $1,000 |
| First government-chartered flight | May 19, 2025 (64 people) |
| CBP-estimated cost of forced deportation | >$17,000 per person |
| Voluntary departure bond (sometimes required) | $500 |
| Voluntary departure fines/penalties on conversion to removal | $1,000–$5,000 fines, $3,000 civil penalty |
| Reentry bars after removal | 3–10 years, or 5–20 years or permanent depending on order and history |
If you need this reformatted into a printable brief or a one-page fact sheet for outreach or legal clinics, I can produce that next.
Operation Irish Goodbye directs ICE to target migrants attempting voluntary self-removal at southern ports of entry, converting some departures into detentions and formal removal orders. The shift risks long reentry bars and fines for people who thought they were leaving voluntarily. Simultaneously, Project Homecoming offers flights and a $1,000 exit bonus funded by $250 million repurposed from refugee assistance. Legal advocates warn migrants to seek counsel, as the enforcement changes and expanded expedited removal increase detention and complicate future legal return.
