President Donald Trump was seen promoting the Homeland Security Department’s CBP Home app in a new video as his administration is sending people back to their countries of origin. The CBP app was launched for deportation on March 11 and Kristi Noem, the secretary of the department claimed that Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian-origin Columbia student, self-deported herself using the app soon after. Though Srinivasan’s lawyers challenged the claim and said that there was no truth in Noem’s claim, the CBP app is in the news. And now the president is advertising for it.
“People in our country illegally can self-deport the easy way, or they can get deported the hard way and that’s not pleasant,” Trump said.
Calling it the safest option for illegal migrants, Trump said if people use the CBP Home app to voluntarily deport, they could have the opportunity to potentially return legally at some point in the future. But, if they are found and deported, the option to come back to the US will no longer be available.
“The CBP Home app is now available free across all mobile app stores, and I encourage those who have violated our laws to use this option,” the president said in the video. “Today, do it right, and come back into our country. Do it wrong, and you’ll never be back again.”
Ranjani Srinivasan managed to escape ICE raid, left country
Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian national and doctoral student in Urban Planning at Columbia University, deported herself after her visa was revoked on March 5 because of her alleged support to Hamas. She said she did not attend any protest on the campus and was caught in the crosshairs of one protest because of which she was arrested last year, but was released immediately.
Following her student visa revocation, Columbia University canceled her enrollment, leaving her with nothing to do in the US. On March 11, she left the country and went to Canada. Her example of self deportation was used by the Homeland Security department for the promotion of the CBP Home app.
