The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is ramping up efforts to encourage unauthorized immigrants to self-deport by offering assistance that includes a $1,000 stipend and travel support. Announced on Monday, the initiative allows individuals to use the CBP Home app to facilitate their voluntary departure from the U.S., with funds disbursed once their return home is verified through the app. This move comes in response to stagnant deportation rates during the early days of the Trump administration, where mass deportation was a key campaign promise.
DHS has not clarified the funding process or required proof of returning but highlighted that immigrants must prove they are at least three miles outside the U.S. to utilize the app’s verification feature. Secretary Kristi Noem emphasized that self-deportation is “the best, safest, and most cost-effective way” to avoid arrest, aiming to reduce the typical cost of deportation significantly.
So far in 2023, about 5,000 immigrants reportedly indicated their intention to leave via the app, which had been downloaded approximately 300,000 times since its relaunch from a previous Biden-era version allowing legal asylum entries. DHS’s advertising campaign, which has received substantial funding, encourages unauthorized immigrants to use the app and informs them that those who express intent to leave may receive reduced priority for detention.
However, immigration advocates have raised concerns about the uncertainty of re-entry into the U.S. for those who self-deport, with experts warning that many individuals may face long or indefinite bans on re-entering the country. Critics also highlight the moral and economic implications of pressuring people to leave their homes and families.
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