The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is ramping up incentives for unauthorized immigrants to self-deport by offering a $1,000 stipend and travel assistance through the CBP Home app. Announced on Monday, this initiative aims to facilitate voluntary departures from the United States. Immigrants who utilize the app to report their departure will receive the stipend once their return is confirmed through the app. This move comes amidst stagnating deportation rates during President Trump’s early presidency, where mass deportation was a key campaign promise.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin highlighted that those self-deporting can authenticate their return using biographical data, facial images, and geo-location. An immigrant must be at least three miles outside the U.S. to complete the designated process.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem emphasized that self-deportation is a safer, more cost-effective alternative to avoid arrest, reducing the cost of deportation—which is typically over $17,000—by an estimated 70% after considering the offered stipend. Thus far, approximately 5,000 immigrants are reported to have used the CBP Home app to announce their voluntary departure this year.
Following the revamping of the previously Biden-era CBP One app, which facilitated legal entry for asylum-seekers, the Trump administration has invested $200 million in promoting the new capabilities of the CBP Home app, utilizing advertising campaigns in both English and Spanish to reach potential users. The DHS also mentioned that those indicating intent to self-deport via the app would face less priority for detention.
However, immigration advocates caution that the prospect of legal re-entry after self-deportation—suggested by Noem—may not be realistic for many individuals, highlighting the potential political, moral, and economic implications of coercing immigrants to leave their homes.
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