Self-deportation vs. voluntary departure - Maybe this is what Mittens was referring to?
There is a provision in U.S. immigration called 'voluntary departure' that USCIS defines thusly (excerpted from USCIS): The departure of an alien from the United States without an order of removal. The departure may or may not have been preceded by a hearing before an immigration judge. An alien allowed to voluntarily depart concedes removability but does not have a bar to seeking admission at a port-of-entry at any time. Failure to depart within the time granted results in a fine and a ten-year bar to several forms of relief from deportation.
In plain English, a person who is illegally in the U.S. can voluntarily return to his/her home country by filing the form with USCIS and, when he/she re-applies for admission to the U.S., there is no bar to re-entering the U.S. in a legal status.
However, the person must leave within the prescribed amount of time or the bar/fine apply. This voluntary departure can also be used if a person has a deportation order against him/her.
I wonder if this is what Mittens was talking about... Either way, the problem is that few immigrants know about this and it still requires proper and competent counsel, because the risk is that the immigrant will be denied from re-entering the U.S. at his/her home country.
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