American wife and children to self-deport to keep family together

A Florida mother has reportedly said she will leave the U.S. with her husband and two young daughters to keep her family together.

Lindsay Cote, her husband Jose Rodriguez-Lopez, and their two young daughters are facing the decision to leave behind their home and everything they have built in Orlando and move to Honduras amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on migration, according to WESH 2 News.

“Family is really, really important to me. I didn’t grow up with a good family. Having my girls grow up with a dad is the most important thing to me. I can’t see him going back by himself,” Cote told WESH 2 News.

Newsweek has contacted the family for comment via Facebook.

Why It Matters

President Donald Trump has ordered his administration to conduct widespread arrests and removals of undocumented migrants.

The administration is marshalling together several federal agencies, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Border Patrol, the FBI, and the ATF, to conduct enforcement operations across the nation.

Critics described the immigration raids as aggressive and have accused the Trump administration of denying due process rights and mistreating migrants in custody.

What To Know

Rodriguez-Lopez has lived in the U.S. for 20 years and said the toll of the situation is hard to explain to outsiders.

“For the person who is not living this, they don’t understand the negative impact this situation has,” he told WESH 2 News. The family told the outlet that Rodriguez-Lopez does not have a criminal record.

The couple has been married for 10 years and has spent much of that time trying to obtain an I-130 for Rodriguez-Lopez, a petition that can grant legal status to immigrants married to U.S. citizens.

Rodriguez-Lopez was scheduled for an interview in March, but their lawyer advised them not to attend. The appointment was never rescheduled, and their case soon unravelled.

“At that point, that is when they started to take everyone into custody. We advised our lawyer. She said not to go to the interview, she would reschedule that for us,” Cote said.

The Department of Homeland Security is encouraging immigrants in the U.S. illegally to self-deport through a revamped app called CBP Home. The app, which replaced the former CBP One app on app stores, allows users to declare their intent to leave the country and provide evidence that they have done so.

DHS said the new self-deportation option is aimed at those in the country illegally or whose parole has been revoked after certain protections ended. By notifying the government of their departure, immigrants can potentially avoid “harsher consequences,” including detention or expedited removal.

A section of CBP Home, reviewed by Newsweek, shows users can submit their intent to depart, verify that they have left the U.S., and track their status with the government.

The DHS told Newsweek that tens of thousands of migrants have used the CBP Home app to self-deport. However, the agency refused to provide the exact number.

What People Are Saying

A DHS Spokesperson told Newsweek: “After successfully ending the invasion of our country and securing our southern border, President Trump established the visionary Project Homecoming in May to create a smooth, efficient process for illegal aliens to return home. By using the CBP Home App, illegal aliens will receive a complimentary one-way plane ticket home, a $1,000 exit bonus, and forgiveness of any fines previously assessed for failure to depart. Tens of thousands of illegal aliens have utilized the CBP Home app. 1.6 million illegal immigrants have left the United States population since January 20, not all utilizing the CBP Home App.”

Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement in March: “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.”

What Happens Next

According to WESH 2 News, Rodriguez-Lopez is now scheduled to report to immigration authorities, and their new attorney says he is likely to be detained, a prospect that has the family deeply worried, triggering their decision to leave the country instead.