Illegal immigrants are reportedly choosing to leave the United States voluntarily ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming inauguration, according to a report by NewsNation journalist Jorge Ventura. This trend is being linked to the anticipated strict immigration policies under the Trump administration, which include mass deportations, and recent changes in Mexican legislation allowing the country to accept deportees from nations other than Mexico.

Immigration attorney Rolando Vasquez explained that many of his clients are opting for self-deportation to avoid being detained by federal immigration agents once Trump takes office. Others, particularly those from Cuba and Venezuela—countries that historically refuse U.S. deportation flights—are heading to Mexico due to legal changes that may permit their deportation from there. “This is causing many migrants to leave on their own, knowing that they’re either going to be deported to their home country or be deported to Mexico,” Vasquez stated. He emphasized, however, that the “overwhelming majority of them do not want to be in Mexico.”

The reluctance to stay in Mexico stems from ongoing threats posed by criminal cartels. Ventura’s sources in Mexico indicated that newly deported individuals could face heightened risks of exploitation, extortion, or abduction by human smugglers and organized crime networks.

Under the Biden administration, the U.S. faced its largest immigration surge in history, with an annual average of approximately 2.5 million illegal migrants crossing the border between 2021 and 2023, based on Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data.

NewsNation also reported that some illegal immigrants involved in asylum proceedings have terminated their cases and sought to leave the U.S. through ports of entry ahead of Trump’s inauguration.

During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump outlined an aggressive approach to border security, promising to restart construction of the border wall, abolish sanctuary cities and states, and conduct the largest mass deportation operation in American history.