Trump triples unauthorized migrants’ self-deportation prize to $3,000
The Trump administration is providing undocumented migrants with $3,000 and paid travel if they consent to leave the US voluntarily before the year’s end, marking its latest initiative to intensify mass deportations and reduce enforcement expenses. According to the Department of Homeland Security, undocumented migrants who choose to self-deport using the CBP Home app will have their travel arranged and financed by the department, and they will be eligible for forgiveness of any civil fines or penalties associated with their failure to leave the US. The $3,000 stipend represents a significant increase, being three times the $1,000 payout that the department announced in May. The policy announcement is a component of a holiday-season initiative designed to accelerate deportations. One post on the Homeland Security Department’s X account cautioned individuals residing illegally in the US that they are “GOING HO HO HOME.”
“Illegal aliens should take advantage of this gift and self-deport because if they don’t, we will find them, we will arrest them, and they will never return,” Kristi Noem stated. According to Noem, since January 2025, 1.9 million undocumented migrants have voluntarily self-deported, with tens of thousands utilizing CBP Home. The accuracy of those figures remains unverified by independent sources. The application was developed under the Biden administration to assist migrants in scheduling asylum interviews; however, it was rebranded by President Donald Trump’s team, altering its original purpose.
Officials have described the programme as a more efficient alternative to expensive arrests and removals. Even the increased bonus payments would result in savings for the government, which estimated the average cost to arrest, detain, and remove a migrant at approximately $17,000 per person. DHS did not provide an immediate response to a request for comment regarding how the increased stipend alters their calculations. However, “each self-deportation saves taxpayers up to a million dollars (or more) in future benefits,” stated Trump adviser Stephen Miller in a post on X, without providing further details. Immigration lawyers and activists have expressed skepticism regarding the Trump administration’s assertion that migrants who depart voluntarily might have the opportunity to return legally. Reports says that in numerous instances, individuals residing in the US without legal status encounter automatic bans that can endure for years, with waivers rarely being granted.
The increase in stipends occurs amidst the fact that non-voluntary arrests and deportations have not reached the administration’s initial goal of 1 million. Since taking office, the Trump administration has deported over 335,000 individuals, as reported by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement data. During that same period, ICE arrested over 285,000 foreigners accused of being in the country illegally or of being deportable. Officials have also implemented measures to restrict legal immigration pathways. It announced that it will re-review the cases of all refugees resettled under former President Joe Biden and freeze their green card applications, and will consider among “significant negative factors” a country’s inclusion on the president’s vast travel ban. The administration has broadened its travel ban, which originally included nationals from 19 countries, to encompass individuals from over 30 countries.
