Washington D.C. – The Trump administration has rolled out a new initiative targeting undocumented immigrants: a $1,000 payment and travel assistance for migrants who self-deport to their home countries. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem promoted the plan, stating, “self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will manage the program. Financial aid and the $1,000 stipend will be processed through the CBP Home App, with the final payment made after DHS verifies the individual’s return to their country of origin.
How the Self-Deport Program Works
President Donald Trump shed more light on the program’s intentions. He suggested it could open a path for migrants who self-deport to potentially return to the U.S. legally in the future. “We are going to pay each one a certain amount of money, and we are going to get them a beautiful flight back to where they came from,” Trump stated. He added a condition: “We’re going to work with them so that maybe someday…they can come back in if they’re good people.”
A key driver for this policy is cost reduction. DHS estimates this voluntary departure program will cut deportation expenses by roughly 70 percent, from an average of $17,121 per individual.
Early Use and Potential Issues
The program has already seen its first participant, a migrant from Honduras who returned home from Chicago. While the administration claims to have deported around 140,000 migrants since January, this new approach seeks to increase departures.
However, immigration experts have voiced concerns. They question the implications for migrants who self-deport, particularly those already facing removal proceedings or awaiting decisions on asylum applications. The voluntary nature of the program under such circumstances is a point of scrutiny.
By Abiodun Labi
