Trump Administration to Pay $1,000 to Immigrants Who Voluntarily Return to Their Home Country
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration says it is going to pay $1,000 to immigrants in the United States illegally who voluntarily return to their home country.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a news release Monday that it’s also paying for travel assistance and that those people who use an app called CBP Home to tell the government that they plan to return home will be “deprioritized” for detention and removal by immigration enforcement.
“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest. DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App,” Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said.
The department said it already paid for a plane ticket for one migrant to return home to Honduras from Chicago and said more tickets have been booked for this week and next.
Breaking News
Cost Savings
The stipend and potential airfare for migrants who voluntarily depart would cost less than an actual deportation, the agency said. The average cost of arresting, detaining and deporting someone without legal status is currently about $17,000, according to DHS.
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Immigration Enforcement
President Donald Trump has made immigration enforcement and the mass deportation of immigrants in the U.S. illegally a centerpiece of his campaign, but that is a costly, resource-intensive endeavor.
While the Republican administration is pushing Congress for a massive increase in resources for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement department responsible for removing people from the country, it’s also pushing people in the country illegally to “self-deport.”
It has coupled this self-deportation push with television ads threatening action against people in the U.S. illegally and social media images showing immigration enforcement arrests and migrants being sent to a prison in El Salvador.
Self-Deportation
The Trump administration has often portrayed self-deportation as a way for migrants to preserve their ability to return to the U.S. someday.
But Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, which advocates for immigrants, said there’s a lot for migrants to be cautious about in the latest offer from Homeland Security.
He said it’s often worse for people to leave the country and not fight their case in immigration court, especially if they’re already in removal proceedings. He said if migrants are in removal proceedings and don’t show up in court they can automatically get a deportation order and leaving the country usually counts as abandoning many applications for relief including asylum applications.
Concerns and Criticisms
Homeland Security is not indicating that it is closely coordinating with the immigration courts so that there are no repercussions for people in immigration court if they leave, he said.
“People’s immigration status is not as simple as this makes it out to be,” Reichlin-Melnick said.
He questioned where Homeland Security would get the money and the authorization to make the payments — and he suggested they are necessary because the administration can’t arrest and remove as many people as it has promised so it has to encourage people to do it on their own.
“They’re not getting their numbers,” he said.
Deportation Numbers
The Trump administration has deported 152,000 people since Jan. 20, according to DHS, lower than the 195,000 deported from February-April last year under the Biden administration.
Trump’s administration has tried to encourage migrants to leave voluntarily by threatening steep fines, trying to strip away legal status, and deporting migrants to notorious prisons in Guantanamo Bay and El Salvador.
In March, the administration launched a rebranded app called CBP Home to facilitate self-deportation. The app, previously called CBP One, was used by the Biden administration to allow migrants to enter the U.S. legally.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Trump administration’s latest offer to pay $1,000 to immigrants who voluntarily return to their home country is a complex issue with both benefits and drawbacks. While it may provide a cost-effective solution for some migrants, it also raises concerns about the potential repercussions for those who leave the country and the lack of coordination with immigration courts.
FAQs
Q: How much will the Trump administration pay to immigrants who voluntarily return to their home country?
A: The Trump administration will pay $1,000 to immigrants who voluntarily return to their home country.
Q: What is the average cost of arresting, detaining and deporting someone without legal status?
A: The average cost of arresting, detaining and deporting someone without legal status is currently about $17,000, according to DHS.
Q: How many people has the Trump administration deported since Jan. 20?
A: The Trump administration has deported 152,000 people since Jan. 20, according to DHS.
