as I said before, the program is to volunteer to go home prior to being deported by the govt; the point is by volunteering you save the cost of deportation (agents, lawyers, court time, incarceration, transportation)

so if your friends were deported before applying, then it's too late because that deportation already cost the govt money.

the program is only months old, so if your friends got deported before that it wouldn't apply.

you have to apply for the program (I think you just download the app and sign up) in advance, you can't just return home and then apply.

https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/05/05/dhs-announces-historic-t...

https://www.ice.gov/self-deportation

Interesting. I missed this. Thanks.