Trump Offers $1,000 to Migrants for Voluntary Departure

On Monday, the Trump administration announced a policy giving a 1,000 dollar stipend and travel assistance to migrants voluntarily leaving the U.S.; a program the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) calls a “cost-effective, voluntary alternative to deportations”.

According to the DHS, deportation generally costs an average of 17,000, taken into account the costs associated with the arrest, detention, and removal of a person. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem told undocumented people to “self-deport” and that it was the "safest and most cost-effective way” to avoid arrest.

Since taking office in January, the Administration has deported 152k, less than the 195k When Biden was in office the same period in 2023. It is clear that while Trump ran for office giving promises he would deport Millions, this administration is focused on incentives not enforcement.

Biden had record levels of border encounters with quick expulsions using past pandemic policies, whereas trump's administration is threatening fines, stripping legal status, and deportation to Guantanamo Bay, and El Salvador.

The administration relaunched a Biden-era app, which had been used to schedule legal U.S. entries, as “CBP Home” in March to facilitate self-deportation requests.

Officials have also advised migrants who refuse voluntary departure might face tougher decisions, including being barred from returning to the U.S. In April, Trump suggested a stipend program, saying if some migrants were “good” they could return legally, but he did not provide an actual pathway from DHS.