Overview
- Immigration court data show more than 80,000 voluntary departure orders from January 2025 through March 2026, about seven times the 11,400 recorded in the last 15 months of the prior administration.
- The pace has quickened, rising from roughly 6,370 orders in July 2025 to more than 9,000 in March 2026, according to figures cited from the Vera Institute of Justice.
- Over 70% of people who took the option did so while in detention, and advocates say many chose to leave to get out of custody because they saw no viable path to relief.
- Voluntary departure is a judge-approved exit that does not carry a formal deportation order, which can make a future legal return easier than if someone is removed.
- DHS says the trend shows stricter law enforcement under President Trump, while reporting notes it remains unclear how much a DHS app that offers a stipend and flight home contributes to the surge.