Trump to Pay Undocumented Migrants $1000 to Leave US Voluntarily

The Trump administration has introduced a controversial self-deportation program, offering undocumented immigrants in the US a $1,000 stipend to voluntarily return to their home countries The initiative, managed through the CBP Home app, is intended to reduce deportation costs while granting participants lower priority for detention However, immigration advocates warn that the program may mislead individuals into leaving under false pretenses about future legal re-entry. 

On May 5, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unveiled a controversial new program aimed at undocumented immigrants in the United States. According to Guardian UK, the initiative promises $1,000 in financial assistance to individuals without legal status who voluntarily return to their home country using the CBP Home app. 

CBP Home App, departure tool The CBP Home app is an adaptation of the CBPOne app, which was originally launched during the Biden administration. CBPOne previously allowed migrants at the US-Mexico border to apply for asylum and legally enter the US via scheduled appointments. However, upon taking office, Donald Trump shut down CBPOne, replacing it with CBP Home—an app designed to facilitate voluntary departure rather than entry. Payment process and policy details The $1,000 stipend will only be issued once the departing individual has reached their home country and their return is confirmed through the app. The DHS emphasized that using the app to declare intent to leave would result in lower prioritization for detention and removal while demonstrating an effort to exit the country. 

Additionally, the agency suggested that participation in the self-deportation program “may help preserve the option” for legal re-entry in the future. However, critics have raised concerns over the credibility of this claim. Cost reduction in immigration enforcement The DHS estimates that, despite the stipend, the program will significantly cut deportation expenses. The department claims that the average cost of detaining and deporting an undocumented immigrant is $17,121—a figure that would be reduced by approximately 70 percent under the new initiative. 

Criticism and concerns The program has drawn criticism from immigration advocates, including Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council. In a social media post, he warned that the initiative could be misleading, stating that some participants may unknowingly put themselves in a worse legal position. 

“This is a trap,” Reichlin-Melnick emphasized, arguing that the program falsely suggests that voluntary departure guarantees future legal re-entry, which may not be the case for many individuals. Hardline immigration crackdown The launch of the self-deportation program aligns with the Trump administration’s strict immigration policies, which aim to make conditions increasingly difficult for undocumented immigrants in the hope that they choose to leave.

As DHS Secretary Kristi Noem stated in the official announcement: “If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest, and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest.” With the program now in effect, one individual has already participated, receiving a plane ticket from Chicago to Honduras. DHS reports that additional tickets have been booked for the coming weeks. As debates over immigration policy continue, the new Trump-era initiative adds another layer to the ongoing discussion about enforcement, humanitarian concerns, and the future of US immigration laws.