Voluntary departure

ICE officers in Norfolk detained a Guatemalan man after a vehicle pursuit that resulted in a crash involving two vehicles. The man was later accepted for voluntary departure back to Guatemala.

Voluntary departure agreements in immigration courts increased sevenfold under the Trump administration, with immigrants facing squalid detention conditions and pressure to leave despite legal rights to stay. Mandatory detention policies and dire facility conditions are cited as factors driving immigrants to accept voluntary departure, which requires self-funded departure and fines for delays.

Voluntary departure agreements in U.S. immigration courts surged sevenfold under the Trump administration compared to the Biden era, with concerns that immigrants are pressured to leave due to squalid detention conditions and mandatory detention policies. The rise coincides with a policy requiring detention without bond, which critics argue forces individuals into costly voluntary departure to escape inhumane facilities.

A record number of detained immigrants are voluntarily departing the United States after abandoning their immigration cases, according to a CBS News analysis. Vilma Palacios is among thousands who have chosen to leave rather than continue fighting their cases while in detention.