The Trump administration launches a program whereby migrants illegally in the United States can receive a $ 1,000 financial incentive, plus transport support, if they choose to voluntarily return to the country of origin. This measure would be to the advantage of the United States, given that the detention and expelling of a person illegally in the US costs about $ 17,000.
Donald Trump. Photo: AFP
The announcement was made Monday, May 5, by the Department for Internal Security (DHS), which emphasizes that this solution is more efficient and less expensive than a forced deportation, according to Reuters.
The average cost of arresting, restraining and expeling a person illegally in the US is about $ 17,000. In this context, voluntary self -report with financial support becomes a budgetary option.
“If you are illegally in this country, self-repair is the best, safe and effective way to leave the United States and avoid arrest,” said Kristi Noem, Secretary DHS. The authorities have also launched the CBP Home app – a rebranded version of the CBP One, previously used by the Biden Administration – to facilitate this process.
Although Trump promised the deportation of millions of migrants, the figures remain below those registered by the Biden Administration: 152,000 people were expelled from the US from January 20, 2025 (since Trump took over) so far, compared to 195,000 during February-April 2024.
In order to encourage voluntary departures, the administration has imposed harsh measures, such as withdrawing legal status, fines and sending people to detention centers in Guantanamo Bay and El Salvador.
Donald Trump said in April that some migrants who choose to leave voluntarily could be received back, legally: “If there are good people, if we want to receive them back, we will collaborate with them to bring them back.”
The Department for Internal Security said that this option remains theoretically open, but without a concrete mechanism established so far.
