The Trump administration has decided to offer undocumented migrants $3,000 along with government-funded travel if they choose to voluntarily leave the United States by the end of the year, Bloomberg reports. The move is part of a broader effort to speed up deportations while reducing enforcement costs. The move marks a significant increase from the $1,000 payment introduced in May.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, migrants who choose to self-deport through the CBP Home app will have their travel organized and funded by the government and will also be eligible to be exempt from any civil fines or penalties associated with overstaying.
The announcement is part of an effort to speed up holiday moves. In a message posted on the department’s X account, officials warned undocumented residents to go “HO HO HOME.”
What did Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem say?
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement: “Illegal aliens should take advantage of this gift and self-deport because if they don’t, we will find them, arrest them, and they will never come back.
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About 1.9 million undocumented migrants have voluntarily left the U.S. since January 2025, according to Noem, with tens of thousands doing so through the CBP Home app, though those numbers could not be independently confirmed. The app was originally developed under the Biden administration to allow migrants to schedule asylum interviews, but was later renamed and redesigned by Trump’s team.
Officials have described the program as a more cost-effective alternative to arrests and forced evictions, arguing that despite higher incentive payments, it reduces overall government spending. Authorities estimate that it costs about $17,000 per person to arrest, detain and deport a migrant.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to questions about how the increased stipend affects costing.
Immigration lawyers and activists have disputed the Trump administration’s claim that migrants who leave voluntarily can later return legally. A previous Bloomberg report noted that many undocumented migrants are subject to automatic re-entry bans that last several years, and that exceptions to such restrictions are rarely approved.
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The decision to increase the stipend comes as the administration fell short of its original goal of carrying out 1 million forced deportations. Since taking office, over 261,000 people have been deported, according to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the report said. During the same period, ICE arrested more than 285,000 foreign nationals accused of being in the country illegally or otherwise being deported.
At the same time, officials tightened the channels for legal immigration. The administration announced plans to re-examine all refugee cases approved under former President Joe Biden, suspend their green card applications and list the country’s inclusion in the president’s sweeping travel ban among “significant negative factors.”
It also extended the travel ban, which originally applied to citizens of 19 countries, to nationals of more than 30 countries.
(With inputs from Bloomberg)
