The Trump administration has introduced a new program that offers $1,000 in financial aid and travel support to undocumented migrants who choose to leave the United States voluntarily. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the initiative is designed to make self-deportation the most efficient and affordable option for those facing the possibility of arrest. The program is accessible via the CBP One mobile app.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that the financial assistance will help facilitate voluntary returns, reducing the risk of detention. The initiative is part of the Trump administration’s ongoing focus on immigration enforcement, which remains a central issue in both the current presidency and Trump’s re-election campaign. Despite the program’s cost-effectiveness, officials acknowledge the high costs of traditional deportation, with DHS estimating that it costs around $17,000 to arrest, detain, and deport an individual without legal status.
The new stipend program offers a significantly cheaper alternative and has already been utilized. For example, an individual who entered the U.S. during the Biden administration used the initiative to return to Honduras on a flight from Chicago. Further flights are scheduled in the upcoming weeks. Since Trump resumed office on January 20, his administration has deported around 152,000 people, a number lower than the 195,000 deportations under the Biden administration during the same period last year.
