As part of the Trump administration’s agenda to restore law and order to America’s broken immigration system, on Monday, it announced a new incentive program offering $1,000 to illegal immigrants who voluntarily self-deport. The policy underscores the administration’s commitment to upholding the rule of law while reducing the taxpayer burden created by mass illegal immigration.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it will begin paying for illegal aliens’ flights back to their home countries if they agree to cooperate with the Trump administration’s immigration policies. DHS said it would provide the undocumented immigrants with a stipend once they are confirmed to have left the United States.
Travel assistance will be managed through the CBP One app, allowing illegal immigrants to notify the government of their intent to return to their home country. Those who opt into the self-deportation program will be “deprioritized” for detention and removal by immigration enforcement, placing them lower on the list for ICE action as long as they follow through on their departure.
“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest, and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said. “DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it has already funded a plane ticket for one illegal immigrant to return to Honduras from Chicago, with additional flights scheduled for this week and next. The department stated that this initiative will save American taxpayers nearly 70 percent. While it costs DHS over $17,000 to arrest, detain, and deport an illegal immigrant, the self-removal program, including the flight and stipend, is projected to cost only $4,500.
The department described the CBP Home program as a “safe, orderly alternative that provides assistance and flexibility, not fear.”