Receive final
removal order
Expedited removal
Happens quickly, outside
of the court process — usually
related to border encounters
or for anyone in the U.S.
less than two years
Wait for removal
Can take a while due to
long court backlogs,
DHS capacity issues
and issues with
receiving countries
Leave voluntarily
Released on bond
or “alternative
to detention”
Regular check-ins
with ICE
Wait in
ICE detention
Beds are limited,
so a majority of
immigrants are not
held in detention
Receive final
removal order
Leave
voluntarily
Expedited removal
Happens quickly, outside
of the court process — usually
related to border encounters
or for anyone in the U.S.
less than two years
Wait for removal
Can take a while due to
long court backlogs,
DHS capacity issues
and issues with
receiving countries
Wait in
ICE detention
Beds are limited,
so a majority of
immigrants are not
held in detention
Released on bond
or “alternative
to detention”
Regular check-ins
with ICE
Receive final
removal order
Leave
voluntarily
Expedited removal
Happens quickly, outside
of the court process — usually
related to border encounters
or for anyone in the U.S.
less than two years
Wait for removal
Can take a while due to
long court backlogs,
DHS capacity issues
and issues with
receiving countries
Wait in
ICE detention
Beds are limited,
so a majority of
immigrants are not
held in detention
Released on bond
or “alternative
to detention”
Regular check-ins
with ICE
| Item | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Salary for a USCIS agent | $22,360–162,672/year | OPM (2025) |
| White House request to Congress for border security | $175 billion | NPR reporting (2025) |