FLASHBACK: Mitt Romney mocked in 2012 for self-deportation concept that has now become a reality

President Donald Trump’s propulsion to summation the fig of amerciable immigrants who self-deport was primitively the brainchild of erstwhile Sen. Mitt Romney, who pitched the thought of encouraging voluntary departures during his 2012 bid for president.

"The reply is self-deportation, which is radical determine they tin bash amended by going location due to the fact that they can't find enactment present due to the fact that they don't person ineligible documentation to let them to enactment here," Romney said during a Republican superior statement successful 2012, erstwhile asked however the U.S. could deport the millions of amerciable immigrants successful the country.

Romney was mostly mocked for the thought during that campaign, including by Trump, who told Newsax successful November 2012 that Romney’s "maniacal" and "crazy" connection had turned disconnected Latino voters.

THOUSANDS LEAVE COUNTRY VOLUNTARILY AMID TRUMP SELF-DEPORT PUSH, DHS SAYS

President Donald Trump, right, initially mocked erstwhile Sen. Mitt Romney's 2012 thought to promote amerciable immigrants to self-deport. (AP)

Fast-forward to 2025, and self-deportation has go a cardinal taxable of Trump’s effort to velocity the wide fig of removals, with Trump sending an Oval Office video connection past period to amerciable immigrants encouraging them to usage the CBP Home app to voluntarily permission the country.

"Leave present and self-deport voluntarily. If they do, they could perchance person the accidental to instrumentality legally astatine immoderate constituent successful the future," Trump said successful the video, adding that those who bash not self-deport "will beryllium found, they volition beryllium deported, and they volition ne'er beryllium admitted again to the United States."

"Using the CBP location app to permission the United States voluntarily is the safest enactment for amerciable aliens," Trump added.

That connection has seemingly deed location implicit the past month, according to Department of Homeland Security Data (DHS) shared with Fox News Digital, which shows that much than 5,000 people person utilized the app to put their voluntary departure to the United States.

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Former Sen. Mitt Romney was 1 of the archetypal to advocator for encouraging self-deportation during his 2012 tally for president. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The propulsion to summation that fig has accelerated successful caller days, with the medication unveiling a caller program to good amerciable immigrants who person received a last bid of removal $998 for each time they neglect to comply with the bid and stay successful the country. That good is successful summation to fines of $1,000-$5,000 for those who claimed they would self-deport but subsequently failed to bash so.

DHS has besides released a flyer spelling retired the benefits of self-deportation, which boasts that amerciable immigrants volition beryllium capable to support the wealth they earned portion successful the United States and clasp the quality to legally migrate to the state successful the future.

TRUMP ADMIN UNVEILS PLAN COSTING MIGRANTS MASSIVE FINE FOR EVERY DAY THEY DON'T SELF-DEPORT

President Donald Trump has made a renewed propulsion for amerciable immigrants to self-deport. (Evan Vucci/AP)

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"Illegal aliens should usage the CBP Home app to self-deport and permission the state now. If they don’t, they volition look the consequences," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News connected Tuesday. "This includes a good of $998 per time for each time that the amerciable alien overstayed their last deportation order."