self-deport
verb [no object] US
Return voluntarily to one’s home country from a country in which one has been living without legal authorization (chiefly used in the context of political debate concerning illegal immigration): he suggested in primary debates that those here illegally would find conditions that would cause them to self-deport...
- In this year's Republican primaries, he said illegal immigrants should be encouraged to self-deport.
- She had similar frustrations that eventually forced her to self-deport.
- Since when do we force our own citizens to self-deport.
Derivatives
self-deportation
- He said his call for "self-deportation" merely was a proposal to "let people make their own choice."
- He called for self-deportation - encouraging illegal immigrants to leave voluntarily by making life in the US more difficult for them.
- The strategy calls for undocumented workers to engage in "self-deportation."