The Trump administration announced on Monday a new initiative aimed at encouraging undocumented migrants to voluntarily return to their countries of origin. The program includes free travel and a $1,000 stipend for those who agree to “self-deport.”
President Donald Trump said that select migrants who participate in the scheme may be eligible to return to the US legally in the future.
“We’re going to pay each one a certain amount of money, and we’re going to get them a beautiful flight back to where they came from,” Trump said at a White House event. “We’re going to work with them so that maybe someday, with a little work, they can come back in if they’re good people, if they’re the kind of people that we want in our (country). It will give them a path to coming back into the country.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who formally unveiled the plan, described it as the most efficient and humane way for undocumented migrants to exit the country and avoid arrest.
“Self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest,” she said, adding that the process is being facilitated through the CBP Home App.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) explained that the app allows users to initiate their own departure, and confirmed that the $1,000 stipend would only be issued after the migrant’s return is verified.
“Self-deportation is a dignified way to leave the US and will allow illegal aliens to avoid being encountered by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),” DHS stated.
Despite the monetary cost, the department maintains that the initiative will be significantly more affordable than the standard deportation process, which averages $17,121 per person. By using CBP Home, costs are expected to be reduced by about 70 percent.
DHS also noted that at least one undocumented migrant from Honduras has already used the app to return home under the new arrangement.
During the announcement, Trump reiterated his campaign promise to carry out widespread deportations, claiming that the undocumented population in the U.S. could be as high as 21 million. However, Pew Research Center figures estimated the number at 11 million in 2022, based on Census Bureau data.
What you should know
The Trump administration has introduced a program offering free travel and $1,000 to undocumented migrants who choose to self-deport, aiming to reduce deportation costs and allow some to eventually re-enter the US legally.
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