by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – In a sweeping new effort to reduce the number of illegal immigrants in the country, the Department of Homeland Security announced Monday it will pay a $1,000 reward plus travel assistance to migrants who voluntarily leave the United States through a new self-deportation initiative.
“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest,” said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App. This is the safest option for our law enforcement, aliens, and is a 70% savings for US taxpayers.”
The initiative hinges on the newly developed CBP Home app, launched by the Trump administration to replace the Biden-era CBP One app. While the previous app was used to process and bring in hundreds of thousands of unauthorized migrants, CBP Home is designed to encourage them to register their departure. Migrants who complete the process and confirm they’ve returned to their home country will receive the $1,000 stipend.
DHS says the policy is both humane and fiscally smart. The average cost to detain and formally deport an illegal immigrant exceeds $17,000, compared to the comparatively modest cost of encouraging voluntary departure. As an added incentive, individuals using the program will be deprioritized for arrest and removal as long as they’re making meaningful strides to leave.
Critics, however, questioned the approach. Rosemary Jenks, policy director at the Immigration Accountability Project, said: “I think it’s a better idea to give Americans a thousand dollars each, and just boot the illegals. They’ve had enough free stuff paid for by us.”
Don Rosenberg, president of Advocates for Victims of Illegal Alien Crime, took a more pragmatic view. “The idea is to get them out, and get them out as fast as you can and as cheap as you can,” he told The Washington Times. He added he would prefer to see the program’s cost offset by docking federal grants to sanctuary cities.
According to Homeland Security, one Honduran migrant who entered the country during the Biden administration has already used the app to book a flight from Chicago, and more departures are scheduled in the coming weeks.
The self-deportation concept, once highlighted by 2012 GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, gained little traction until now. The Trump administration is pushing to reverse the migrant influx under the Biden presidency and address long-term illegal residents using a mix of enforcement and incentives.
In addition to the app-based system, DHS is also reviving long-dormant immigration laws, including one requiring new arrivals to register with the government — a move that immigration advocacy groups attempted to block in court. A federal judge dismissed their lawsuit, citing a lack of standing.
With enforcement priorities shifting, officials say newcomers who have not yet established strong ties in the U.S. are the best candidates for the program. As Secretary Noem emphasized, “This is about restoring order, upholding the law, and saving taxpayer money.”
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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