WASHINGTON, USA – In a new twist to US immigration enforcement, President Donald Trump on Monday, May 5, 2025, announced a controversial program offering travel assistance and a $1,000 stipend to undocumented migrants who voluntarily return to their countries of origin.
Speaking from the White House, Trump described the policy as a “dignified” and “cost-effective” alternative to forced deportation, while suggesting that some participants could eventually qualify for legal re-entry into the United States.
“We’re going to pay each one a certain amount of money, and we’re going to get them a beautiful flight back to where they came from,” Trump told reporters.
“We’re going to work with them so that maybe someday… they can come back in—if they’re good people, if they’re the kind of people that we want in our country.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, unveiling the program alongside Trump, said the initiative—coordinated through the Department of Homeland Security’s CBP Home app—offers “a safe and dignified exit” while reducing costs for American taxpayers.
“Self-deportation is the best, safest, and most cost-effective way to leave the United States and avoid arrest,” Noem stated.
The DHS says the average cost of forcibly deporting a migrant—encompassing arrest, detention, and transport—is $17,121.
By contrast, the self-deportation program is expected to cut those costs by 70 percent.
Eligible participants will receive prepaid travel and, upon confirmation of arrival in their home country, a $1,000 stipend disbursed via the CBP Home platform.
As of Monday, DHS confirmed that one undocumented migrant from Honduras had successfully used the system.
Though the administration framed the initiative as a humane and fiscally responsible solution, critics swiftly raised concerns about data collection, coercion, and fairness in potential reentry offers.
Immigration advocates warned that incentivising return with vague promises of future reentry may pressure vulnerable individuals to accept uncertain outcomes.
The new plan also reignites scrutiny over Trump’s broader immigration policies.
While Trump claimed there are “21 million” undocumented migrants currently in the US, independent estimates from the Pew Research Center place the figure closer to 11 million as of 2022.
