Woman Who Spent Majority of Life in US to Be Deported

By

Billal Rahman is an immigration reporter based in London, U.K. He specializes in immigration policy and border security. He has uncovered allegations of misconduct among border agents under investigation and exposed claims of abuse at ICE-run detention centers in the U.S. He joined Newsweek in 2024 from The Independent. He has covered the British Post Office scandal and the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Originally from Glasgow, he studied Journalism in Edinburgh and then worked for STV News before moving to London in 2022. You can contact Billal at b.rahman@newsweek.com.

Billal Rahman

Immigration Reporter

🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.

A 20-year-old Honduran woman who has lived in the United States since childhood will reportedly be deported after spending six months in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.

Allison Bustillo-Chinchilla, who wanted to become a nurse, told an immigration judge she would withdraw her asylum petition and accept voluntary removal, according to WFAE.

Newsweek has contacted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) via email and the family via GoFundMe for comment outside office hours.

Why It Matters

Bustillo Chinchilla’s case highlights the human toll of the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration crackdown, which Republicans have billed as the largest mass deportation effort in U.S. history.

Her decision to accept voluntary departure shows that immigrants who grew up in the United States, many with no criminal record, are choosing to leave on their own accord rather than endure months of detention and protracted legal battles. Policy shifts in Washington reverberate among immigrant communities, leading to young people raised in America to return to countries they barely know or remember.

What To Know

Bustillo Chinchilla arrived in North Carolina at the age of eight, graduating from Crest High School in Shelby and later earning a scholarship at Gardner-Webb University, said WFAE, a nonprofit independent radio station.

In February, federal immigration agents raided her family’s east Charlotte home, detaining her, her mother, and her brother, according to WFAE. While her relatives were released to care for two younger siblings, she was transferred to Georgia’s Stewart Detention Center, the outlet reported.

Her decision to accept voluntary removal means she will leave without a formal deportation order on her record, a choice often viewed as the least damaging option for detainees with limited legal recourse.

Keily Chinchilla, Allison Bustillo, Chinchilla’s mother, told WFAE that the harsh conditions in detention led her daughter to choose voluntary removal.

Meanwhile, DHS has promoted the CBP Home app as a tool for migrants seeking to depart the United States voluntarily. Officials say the program allows individuals to avoid detention by arranging their own return flights, with travel costs covered and a $1,000 stipend provided. DHS has also noted that migrants who leave through the program may preserve the possibility of applying to reenter the country legally in the future.

What People Are Saying

Keily Chinchilla told WFAE: “I feel disappointed. I feel tired, and it’s very difficult because I won’t be able to see her leave the country.”

DHS previously told Newsweek: “We encourage illegal aliens to avoid detention by using the CBP Home to self-deport. The United States taxpayer is generously offering free flights and a $1,000 to illegal aliens who self-deport using the CBP Home app. If they leave now, they preserve the potential opportunity to come back the legal, right way.”

What Happens Next

She will remain in ICE custody until she is released for voluntary removal to Honduras.