
FLASHBACK: Mitt Romney mocked in 2012 for self-deportation concept that has now become a reality
Fox News
Former Sen. Mitt Romney was mocked in his 2012 presidential run for promoting the idea that illegal immigrants could be encouraged to self-deport, that is voluntarily leave the U.S.
Romney was largely mocked for the idea during that campaign, including by Trump, who told Newsax in November 2012 that Romney’s "maniacal" and "crazy" proposal had turned off Latino voters. Michael Lee is a writer for Fox News. Prior to joining Fox News, Michael worked for the Washington Examiner, Bongino.com, and Unbiased America. He has covered politics for more than eight years.
Fast-forward to 2025, and self-deportation has become a central theme of Trump’s effort to speed the overall number of removals, with Trump sending an Oval Office video message last month to illegal immigrants encouraging them to use the CBP Home app to voluntarily leave the country.