voluntary departure or self-deportation? Help!

I came to this country when I was 10 and I am now 16 and I am eligible f0r the Dream Act. I'm seriously thinking about moving back to Mexico, where I'm from, to train for tennis by the end of summer. I have no idea how to go back. I researched and the terms voluntary departure and self-deportation and them further research just lead to articles about Georgia and Arizona. Please help me!

you can go back to your country before the age of 18 without repercussions.

just call Senator Durbin or maybe someone else here could give you a more detailed answer.

This would be the best bet... Call some organizations before you leave..

At this point I see it as a 50/50 gamble for you... You could stay and hope Dream passes or you leave and find your own way to legalize..

So officially you are not undocumented until you turn 18?

Are you in removal proceedings? If you aren't, voluntary departure is off the table. It's for people in proceedings. Either the judge offers it or you request it. You are then given a certain period of time to depart at your own expense. If you leave on time there is no bar to reentry and no deportation on your record. If you don't, the next time you get caught you're screwed. No judge, no chance to plead your case. One way ticket home and a bar on reentry.

Self deportation is simply you leaving on your own. There are no other benefits. There was a program for three weeks in 2008 called scheduled departure, that offered some benefits, but I don't think it's ever been revisited.

I don't know what your situation is, but if you think you should return to your home country you probably should. There is no sense wasting more of your life here, waiting for something you're not even sure if you want in the first place. You can also return to Mexico, live outside the shadows, and apply for entry later.

Thanks so much for your responses they really helped me.

Voluntary departure - You have to be in removal proceedings and ask the judge for voluntary departure. You have 120 days to leave the country and you won't be able to return for 10 years.

Deportation- You leave on your own and won't be able to return for 10 years.

Good luck!

So what you are saying is that If I want to leave this country and still have the chance to come back and visit my family, then it is better for me to get myself into removal proceeding and then request voluntary departure, instead of just leaving on my own with my valid passport that has no visa on it? I don't think I am on the federal records since I have no documents, but I do have a hs diploma and college degree from here.

I really want to leave and start doing something with my life (I'm a 25 yr old with an engineering degree), but the only family I have is here in the US and the prospect of not being able to see them for at least 10 yrs is very depressing to me. They won't be able to visit me since they are all undocumented as well.

I'd never recommend anyone getting caught. "Relief" from deportation is a long shot at best. We all talk about it, but how many people do any of us know that have been granted relief? I only know one out of way too many friends that have been deported. I know a few voluntary departures and a couple have come back legally. DO NOT GET YOURSELF CAUGHT!

If you're an ewi and you've never had any run-ins with the law there should be no record of you being here for visa purposes. I doubt they check school records for every school in the country, even if they did how would they prove it was you that went to school?

IMO, you're far better off to return home on your own and apply for admission to enter again. They'll never know you were here. If you're mexican try to get a bcc card and visit your family that way, just don't violate the conditions of the card. Ewi does have it's advantages, if you've stayed out of trouble it's like you were never here.

I am a visa overstay and my country of origin is not in this part of the world :-/ Ok I guess I just have to keep looking for options to get out and stay safe.