The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Monday unveiled a bold, multimillion-dollar national and international ad campaign aimed at deterring illegal immigration and encouraging undocumented immigrants already in the U.S. to voluntarily leave.
Announced by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, the campaign features striking language and graphic warnings highlighting crimes committed by certain undocumented individuals. It warns that those who remain in the country illegally face daily fines of nearly $1,000, potential imprisonment, and permanent deportation.
“President Trump and I have a clear message to those in our country illegally: LEAVE NOW,” Noem said in a statement.
“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.”
The campaign includes TV, online, and social media ads in multiple languages and is being deployed both domestically and internationally. According to DHS, the campaign is hyper-targeted—using digital outreach, SMS messaging, and location-based marketing to reach undocumented individuals inside the U.S. as well as potential migrants abroad.
The ads showcase criminal cases involving undocumented immigrants convicted of crimes such as murder, rape, and child molestation, framing them as part of the administration’s rationale for stricter immigration enforcement.
This move is the latest in the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration crackdown, following the re-upped $5 million reward for MS-13 leader Yulan Adonay Archaga Carías earlier this week and the formal designation of MS-13 as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
The CBP Home app, a central part of the campaign, allows users to schedule self-deportation, receive instructions on exiting procedures, and avoid harsher penalties by leaving voluntarily.
Critics of the campaign have already raised concerns over the tone and civil liberties implications, while supporters have praised it as a necessary measure to restore immigration enforcement.
