The Department of Homeland Security asked a US immigration lawyer to self-deport on Friday. She wasn’t the only one to have received a threatening and fear-inducing email from the federal agency as more and more reports of similar claims pour in from the United States.
Without mincing words, the DHS email outrightly told American citizen Nicole Micheroni, “It’s time for you to leave the United States… DHS is now exercising its discretion to terminate your parole. Unless it expires sooner, your parole will terminate 7 days from the date of this notice”
As a partner at Cameron Law Offices in Massachusetts, the US citizen – born in the country, is not on parole, as per Newsweek. In light of the United States Supreme Court giving the Trump administration the green light to continue its mass deportation efforts under the Alien Enemies Act (AEA), there have been multiple reports on social media about dozens of people, including green card and visa holders and even other US citizens, receiving such emails.
US citizen’s response to Homeland Security’s self-deportation order
The immigration attorney said that she fully believed the email was not a scam. Acknowledging it as yet another sign of the mass deportations in full swing in the US, she told the outlet, “It caught me a little off-guard.” Since she was born in the US and has no parole to be terminated, Nicole Micheroni initially thought the email was mistakenly sent to her.
As an American immigration lawyer, receiving emails from Homeland Security was part of the job. However, with the message being addressed to her personal email address and not being about a client, she remarked, “Afterwards, I was like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe they are just sending this out to those it just doesn’t apply to.'”
The email further reads, “Again, DHS is terminating your parole. Do not attempt to remain in the United States – the federal government will find you. Please depart the United States immediately.” Sent from a no-reply government address — a common feature of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) updates sent to an immigrant, the email included one block paragraph.
Explaining how the email ordering people to self-deport may be believed by many even though they don’t need to, the immigration attorney added, “A lot of people across the board are really concerned and nervous.”
“Based on what I have seen from other people, this is an email DHS would send. I’ve seen notices terminating parole before, I think the language involved in them has become a lot scarier recently, but I think they are probably real emails,” she further clarified. Micheroni is now waiting for Homeland Security’s clarification to better understand if the email concerned her.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, also highlighted the chaos created by messages sent in error. “Needless to say, even if they admit error and take it back, this is the kind of thing that can send a lot of fear through communities. The government has a responsibility to slow down and make sure it gets it right in each case. There is a reason we have procedures for things,” he said in an X post on Friday.
About self-deporting using the CBP Home App
In March, DHS launched the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Home App with a self-deportation reporting feature for immigrants illegally in the country. An official new release declared self-deportation “the safest option for illegal aliens, while preserving law enforcement resources.” The DHS noted it “saves “U.S. taxpayer dollars and valuable Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) resources to focus on dangerous criminal aliens.”
US Secretary of Homeland Security also slammed the Biden administration for exploiting the CBP One App “to allow more than 1 million aliens to illegally enter the United States.” Through the CBP Home app, the Trump administration sought to restore “integrity to our immigration system.”
“The CBP Home app gives aliens the option to leave now and self-deport, so they may still have the opportunity to return legally in the future and live the American dream. If they don’t, we will find them, we will deport them, and they will never return,” she said in a statement.
Alien Registration Requirement implemented
Last week, DHS announced it was introducing the Alien Registration Requirement (ARR). As per the new implementation, illegal immigrants are required to register with the government within 30 days of face severe punishments. The rule came into effect on April 11.
On the same day, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shared a social media post saying it was focussed not only on keeping illegal immigrants out, but also “illegal ideas.” The graphic stated, “If it crosses the U.S. border illegally, it’s our job to stop it”.
The post was quickly deleted, with the Homeland Security eventually confirming the post was erroneously made. “That post was sent without proper approval and should not have been shared,” Assistant Secretary for Public Affair Tricia McLaughlin, said in a statement. “‘Ideas’ should have said ‘intellectual property’.”
DHS official on emails asking people to self-deport
A senior DHS official explained that the Customs and Border Protection issued notices about parole terminations for people without lawful status to stay in the US. “This process is not limited to CBP One users and does not currently apply to those paroled under programs such as U4U and OAW.”
Explaining how emails were being sent out and the subsequent chaos to some extent, he added, “CBP used the known email addresses of the alien to send notifications. If a non-personal email—such as an American citizen contact—was provided by the alien, notices may have been sent to unintended recipients.”
“CBP is monitoring communications and will address any issues on a case-by-case basis. To be clear: If you are an alien, being in the United States is a privilege—not a right. We are acting in the best interest of the country and enforcing the law accordingly.”
Parole system termination notice
This email chain kicked off after Donald Trump implemented the Alien Enemies Act of 1790. The wartime law gave him the power to detain or deport noncitizens. As a result, Kristi Noem announced in a notice that the Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela (CHNV) parole program would be terminated.
“Parolees without a lawful basis to remain in the United States following this termination of the CHNV parole programs must depart the United States before their parole termination date,” the notice read.
Subsequently, a DHS official defended the decision in an email to Newsweek, saying, “The termination of the CHNV parole programs, and the termination of parole for those who exploited it, is a return to common-sense policies, a return to public safety, and a return to America First.” According to the Associated Press, the approximately 532,000 people who benefited from the humanitarian program under former President Joe Biden will lose their legal status on April 24, 2025 — markign 30 days since the notice was posted in the Federal Register.