US deported Indian: Did 1.6 million people self-deport from the US?

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has shared a video on social media celebrating “1.6 million self-deportations” of undocumented immigrants from the United States. The video seemingly promotes the government app CBP Home, which encourages voluntary departures. Noem first cited the 1.6 million figure in August, attributing it to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, though her claim has been disputed by several reports.

Noem shared the video of another user, which features a musical montage encouraging undocumented migrants to leave the country.

“Celebrating 1.6 million self deportations! Use CBP Home to get a free flight home, $1,000 exit bonus, and preserve potential opportunity to return the right way,” she posted on X.

The attached video uses upbeat music and stylised footage of migrants boarding flights with graphics and text encouraging a self-departure option.

Noem’s claim comes a day after US State Department officials said the Trump Administration has revoked around 80,000 non-immigrant visas this year.

Ever since Trump took charge on January 20, the US has intensified its crackdown on illegal immigrants. The Trump administration has deported an unprecedented number of migrants, including some who held valid visas, since taking charge.

Now, the question is whether the number reiterated by Noem is correct. Citing the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, Noem in August first claimed that 1.6 million illegal aliens had gone home voluntarily.

But a report in PolitiFact, a fact-checking website, said the US Bureau of Labor Statistics did not present these data as Noem described.

If reports are to be believed, the 1.6 million figure is not a verified count of voluntarily departing immigrants.

1.6 MILLION FIGURE COMBINES VOLUNTARY EXITS, DEPORTATIONS, DEATHS, AND STATUS CHANGES: REPORT

Kristi Noem’s August press release included a chart from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), a think tank that favours low immigration levels, PolitiFact reported.

On August 12, the CIS released a report based on survey data from the US Census Current Population Survey and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“But the number also includes immigrants who, for example, were deported, died, left voluntarily, and those whose status changed, such as by getting asylum,” PolitiFact reported.

SELF-DEPORTATIONS FIGURE FACES SCRUTINY OVER DATA LIMITATIONS

PolitiFact reported that the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not track “self-deportations”, and immigration experts warned that the survey relied on a small sample with a large margin of error.

CIS researchers also described the figure as a “preliminary estimate” drawn from imperfect data, according to the New York–based news outlet, The Latin Times.

While Noem claims that 1.6 million undocumented immigrants have “self-deported,” the figure is at best a broad estimate of a decrease in the unauthorised-immigrant population—not a verified tally of voluntary departures.

The number is derived from survey data subject to major caveats and methodological uncertainties.

– Ends