THE Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that the Trump administration will provide a $1,000 stipend and travel assistance to migrants who choose to voluntarily “self-deport” from the United States.
A statement from the DHS on Monday, May 5, revealed that the stipend and travel assistance for migrants returning to their home country will be provided through the CBP Home App.
The statement mentioned that any undocumented migrant who uses the CBP Home App to self-deport will be granted $1,000 after their return to their home country is confirmed through the app.
The self-deportation is a dignified way to leave the U.S. and will allow illegal aliens to avoid being encountered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the DHS said.
“Even with the cost of the stipend, it is projected that the use of CBP Home will decrease the costs of a deportation by around 70 per cent. Currently, the average cost to arrest, detain, and remove an illegal alien is $17,121,”it added.
The ICIR reports that President Donald Trump, a Republican, assumed office in January with a pledge to deport millions of people.
According to the DHS, the Trump administration has deported 152,000 people since January 20, which is lower than the 195,000 deportations recorded from February to April last year under Biden.
The Trump administration has attempted to persuade migrants to leave voluntarily by threatening heavy fines, seeking to revoke legal status, and deporting them to infamous detention facilities in Guantanamo Bay and El Salvador.
Trump previewed the stipend plan in April, saying the U.S. would consider allowing migrants to return.
In the announcement on Monday, DHS said people who choose to leave “may help preserve” the ability to return legally, but did not cite any specific pathway or program.
The ICIR reported that the Trump administration has imposed several policies and regulations since entering office in January.
Just last month, Trump revoked the visas of hundreds of international students and carried out arrests over alleged support for Hamas.
A few days later, the government restored the students’ visas after more than 100 lawsuits were filed by students who had lost their legal right to study at US universities.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues.