Self-Deportation Leaves Colombian Migrant Barred From the U.S. for 10 Years

Migrant self-deports

Unknown immigration penalty

Re-entry ban imposed

According to reporting by the EFE news agency, a Colombian migrant stated that after voluntarily self-deporting with her children, she was never informed that she would face a ten-year immigration penalty imposed by U.S. authorities.

Yarlidis Goez-Santos said she made the decision voluntarily out of fear of detention and concern over the emotional impact such an arrest could have on her four children while living in the United States.

The woman arrived in the U.S. three years ago after crossing through El Paso with her husband and children, where they requested asylum from immigration authorities.

Their asylum applications were rejected during the administration of President Donald Trump, which led to the deportation of the father, who was the family’s primary economic provider.

Colombian Migrant Voluntary Self-deportation

The Colombian woman Yarlidis Goez-Santos, who decided to self-deport along with her children, reported that she was not informed she would be subject to a penalty banning her from returning to the United States for 10 years.
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Following the father’s arrest and under constant fear, the mother decided to avoid an immigration detention that could traumatize her minor children, some of whom are U.S. citizens.

Two of her children are U.S. citizens, a factor that influenced her decision to leave the country voluntarily amid increasing federal immigration enforcement pressure.

To self-deport, she used the CBP HOME application, promoted by the U.S. government to facilitate voluntary departures for undocumented migrants involved in active federal administrative immigration proceedings.

According to her testimony, authorities assured her that there would be no immigration penalty for voluntarily returning to Colombia with her dependent minor children.

Discovery of the Penalty

Colombian migrant voluntary self-deportation immigration penalty – PHOTO: EFE

Upon arriving in Colombia, the migrant discovered official documents stating that a ten-year re-entry ban had been applied by U.S. federal immigration authorities.

The Colombian migrant self-deported expecting to be able to apply for asylum again in the future with the support of her U.S. citizen children through a formal legal immigration process.

She also reported that she never received the $1,000 payment promised by the Trump administration to individuals who self-deported under the officially announced federal program in effect at the time.

She voluntarily presented herself with her children at CBP offices in Tucson, Arizona, on December 2 as part of a federally supervised and documented immigration process.

Immigration Penalty and Consequences

The migrant stated that after repeated inquiries, she was told she needed to provide Colombian identification in order to process the pending payment promised by U.S. immigration authorities.

She is currently seeking legal counsel to determine whether she can appeal the immigration penalty imposed following her voluntary departure from the United States through available legal remedies.

There is a federal law that imposes up to a ten-year re-entry ban for prior unlawful presence in the United States under current immigration regulations.

The case highlights the risks of voluntary self-deportation immigration penalties when decisions are made without clear and complete information, particularly for migrant families with U.S. citizen children who are directly and emotionally affected.