The Trump administration is offering undocumented migrants $3,000 and government-funded travel to voluntarily leave the US by year-end. This initiative aims to accelerate deportations while cutting enforcement costs, with a significant increase from a previous $1,000 incentive introduced in May.
The Trump administration has decided to offer undocumented migrants $3,000 along with government-paid travel if they choose to leave the United States voluntarily before the end of the year, according to Bloomberg. The move is part of a broader push to accelerate deportations while reducing enforcement expenses. The move marks a significant increase from the $1,000 payment introduced in May.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, migrants who opt to self-deport through the CBP Home app will have their travel organised and funded by the government and will also be eligible for waivers on any civil fines or penalties linked to overstaying.
The announcement forms part of a holiday-season drive to hasten removals. In a message posted on the department’s X account, officials cautioned undocumented residents that they would be “GOING HO HO HOME.”
What did Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem say?
In a statement, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated, “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.”
According to Noem, about 1.9 million undocumented migrants have voluntarily left the US since January 2025, with tens of thousands doing so through the CBP Home app, though these figures could not be independently confirmed. The app was originally developed under the Biden administration to allow migrants to schedule asylum interviews, but it was later rebranded and repurposed by Trump’s team.
Officials have described the programme as a more cost-effective alternative to arrests and forced removals, arguing that even with the higher incentive payments, it reduces overall government spending. Authorities estimate that arresting, detaining and deporting a migrant costs roughly $17,000 per person.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to questions about how the increased stipend affects that cost calculation.
Immigration lawyers and activists have questioned the Trump administration’s assertion that migrants who depart voluntarily could later return legally. A previous report by Bloomberg noted that many undocumented migrants are subject to automatic re-entry bans lasting several years, and waivers for such restrictions are rarely approved.
The decision to raise the stipend comes as the administration has fallen short of its initial goal of carrying out 1 million forced deportations. Since taking office, over 261,000 people have been deported, according to data from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the report noted. Over the same period, ICE has arrested upwards of 285,000 foreign nationals accused of being in the country unlawfully or otherwise subject to removal.
At the same time, officials have moved to tighten legal immigration channels. The administration announced plans to re-examine all refugee cases approved under former President Joe Biden, suspend their green card applications, and treat a country’s inclusion on the president’s sweeping travel ban among “significant negative factors”.
It has also broadened that travel ban, which initially applied to citizens of 19 countries, to include nationals from over 30 countries.
(With inputs from Bloomberg)