Going after undocumented migrants leaving the country for Christmas! How the U.S. plans to detain undocumented immigrants

The United States government is preparing a special immigration operation for the Christmas and New Year holiday period, focused on detaining people without legal status who attempt to voluntarily leave the country for Mexico.

The measure, revealed by US media outlets and based on an internal memorandum from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), marks a new shift in immigration policy promoted by the administration of President Donald Trump.

The plan includes deploying federal agents along the southern border and at key transit points, with the goal of intercepting undocumented migrants traveling during the holiday season.

US Border and Christmas immigration raids

According to information cited by The Huffington Post, the operation will include inspections carried out by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

These checks will not be limited to border crossings but will also extend to commercial buses and other forms of transportation used to travel to Mexico.

The internal DHS memorandum, which has not been made public, establishes that agents must differentiate between individuals with criminal records and those without.

According to the document, migrants with a criminal history will be processed under their current immigration cases, opening the door to detention and formal deportation proceedings.

When consulted by EFE, a DHS spokesperson declined to provide details about future operations but defended the government’s overall policy.

“It is common sense that we must know who enters and who leaves our country,” the spokesperson said, adding that under Trump’s leadership, borders and ports of entry have been strengthened to prevent uninspected movements.

Self-deportation and the use of a mobile app

If you are illegally in the United States, use the CBP Home app to leave voluntarily. If you wait, you will be detained, deported, and permanently barred from returning. pic.twitter.com/PDJkR3UZk9

— Consulado EU Juárez (@USCGCdJuarez) December 15, 2025

The US Christmas immigration raids are part of the “self-deportation” strategy promoted by the Trump administration.

The government has encouraged migrants without legal status to voluntarily leave the country through a mobile application called CBP Home.

Through this platform, the executive branch promises a payment of $1,000 to those who choose to leave the United States on their own.

In official documents published on the DHS website, the message is blunt: if a person does not self-deport, “it is not a question of if ICE will find you, but when.”

However, the response to this program has been limited.

Although the government has not released official figures, The Atlantic reported that only about 35,000 people have used the application so far.

Figures, promises, and political contrast

Donald Trump returned to power promising to carry out the largest deportation campaign in US history.

However, official data show that during his first year in office, around 600,000 people have been deported—fewer than the 685,000 deportations recorded in fiscal year 2024 under the administration of Joe Biden.

In this context, the US Christmas immigration raids and the emphasis on voluntary departure reflect government pressure to reinforce its immigration stance, while migrant communities express concern over potential detentions during one of the most sensitive times of the year.

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