self-deported

Self-deported describes someone who has left a country voluntarily rather than being forcibly removed by authorities.

The term appears almost exclusively in U.S. immigration debates, where it characterizes undocumented immigrants who return to their home countries on their own, often in response to enforcement policies, economic pressure, or hostile conditions designed to encourage departure.

Many families self-deported after the new employment verification laws took effect.

Critics note the term sanitizes what may be coerced departures.