As of May 7, illegal aliens can no longer fly on U.S. airlines without a REAL ID—unless they’re using the opportunity to self-deport.
In a sweeping policy shift under the Trump administration, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began full enforcement of the REAL ID Act, a post-9/11 law requiring passengers to present federally compliant identification to fly. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed the change on social media, writing bluntly: “Illegal aliens should not be allowed to fly in the U.S. UNLESS SELF DEPORTING.”
The only exception: migrants voluntarily leaving the country using the newly revamped CBP Home app—a tool originally launched under the Biden administration as CBP One, which was used to parole nearly a million illegal aliens into the United States.
Under the updated policy, DHS is actively encouraging voluntary self-deportation. Migrants whose parole has been revoked can now register their “Intent to Depart” through the app, request travel assistance, and even qualify for free flights and a $1,000 departure stipend. DHS officials say this new strategy cuts deportation costs by 70% and avoids contentious ICE removals.
“Illegal aliens who register for voluntary self-departure through the CBP Home app may be eligible to receive financial assistance for their departure,” the agency stated. “Aliens requesting assistance will have a timely departure arrangement facilitated for them.”
The program already appears to be in motion. DHS cited a successful case of a migrant who flew from Chicago to Honduras this week—at taxpayer expense—as part of the new initiative. Officials are billing the program as a “dignified way to leave the U.S.,” without the involvement of immigration enforcement agents.
Under Biden, TSA was widely criticized for setting up special screening lines that allowed illegal immigrants to board planes without standard photo ID—sometimes with no identification at all. In one viral image captured in 2023, a nonprofit staffer escorted migrants through Tucson International Airport’s back screening area, bypassing normal TSA procedures entirely.
That era is over.
In addition to enforcing REAL ID requirements, DHS has begun canceling parole for migrants who entered through Biden’s CBP One app. According to reports, many of those parole recipients have been ordered to “abandon the United States” immediately.
Melissa Lopez, executive director of an El Paso nonprofit that lost $5 million in federal funds after the Trump administration’s funding freeze, recently admitted her group is scrambling to raise money and has filed lawsuits to fight the new immigration rules. But DHS has made clear that the days of using loopholes and ID-free flights are over.
“Canceling these paroles is a promise kept to the American people to secure our borders and protect national security,” a DHS spokesperson said.
The Trump administration has made immigration enforcement and border security a central pillar of its second-term agenda, and this latest move reflects a broader effort to close every backdoor that allowed migrants to remain in the country under the previous administration.
Now, illegal aliens who once boarded flights with minimal scrutiny are faced with two choices: secure legal status through proper channels—or book a free one-way trip home.
