In a significant policy shift, the administration of former US President Donald Trump has announced a substantial increase in financial incentives for undocumented migrants who agree to leave the United States voluntarily. According to a report by Bloomberg, the government is now offering $3,000 along with government-paid travel to those who choose to self-deport before the end of the year.
A Strategic Push to Accelerate Removals
This move represents a major escalation from the $1,000 payment introduced in May 2025. Officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) frame the enhanced programme as a broader strategy to speed up deportations while simultaneously cutting down on enforcement costs. Migrants who opt to use the official CBP Home app to arrange their departure will not only have their travel organised and funded but will also be eligible for waivers on civil fines or penalties related to overstaying their visas.
The announcement is being promoted as a holiday-season drive. In a pointed message on the department's official X account, authorities warned undocumented residents with the phrase, "GOING HO HO HOME." Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued a stern statement, urging, "Illegal aliens should take advantage of this gift and self-deport because if they don’t, we will find them, we will arrest them, and they will never return."
Cost-Effectiveness and Contested Figures
Administration officials defend the programme as a more economical alternative to arrests and forced removals. They argue that even with the higher $3,000 incentive, the programme reduces overall government spending. Authorities estimate that the traditional process of arresting, detaining, and deporting a single migrant costs the government approximately $17,000 per person. The DHS has not yet clarified how the increased stipend affects this overall cost calculation.
Secretary Noem claimed that since January 2025, about 1.9 million undocumented migrants have voluntarily left the US, with tens of thousands utilising the CBP Home app. However, these figures have not been independently verified. Interestingly, the app was originally developed under the Biden administration to schedule asylum interviews but was later rebranded and repurposed by the Trump team for facilitating voluntary departures.
Legal Hurdles and Broader Immigration Crackdown
Immigration lawyers and activists have raised serious doubts about the administration's suggestion that migrants who leave voluntarily could later return through legal channels. A previous Bloomberg report highlighted that many undocumented migrants face automatic re-entry bans lasting several years, and waivers for these restrictions are granted only in rare cases.
The decision to raise the cash incentive comes as the administration has struggled to meet its initial deportation targets. Data from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) indicates that since taking office, the administration has carried out over 261,000 forced deportations, falling short of its stated goal of 1 million. In the same period, ICE has arrested more than 285,000 foreign nationals accused of being in the country unlawfully.
Concurrently, the administration is moving to restrict legal immigration pathways. It has announced plans to re-examine all refugee cases approved under President Joe Biden, suspend their green card applications, and treat a country's inclusion on the expanded travel ban list as a "significant negative factor." This travel ban, initially applied to 19 countries, has now been broadened to include nationals from over 30 countries.
