The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is touting what it calls the “holiday deal of a lifetime,” offering people who are living in the United States illegally a free flight and $1,000 to self-deport.
Newsweek has contacted DHS for further comment via an email sent outside regular business hours.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to crack down on illegal migration. Since taking office in January, his administration has ramped up immigration enforcement in pursuit of his mass deportation agenda, with raids and deportations disrupting communities across the country. The endeavor has been costly, with DHS saying the average cost to arrest, detain and remove someone in the country illegally is $17,121.
The Trump administration said self-deportation would significantly decrease the costs of a deportation. It has also touted self-deportation as a way for migrants to preserve their ability to return to the U.S. legally in the future.
What To Know
In a ’90s-style advertisement posted on X, DHS said immigrants in the country illegally could claim the “best Cyber Monday deal of the season” through the CBP Home App.
The agency said in a news release that those interested in claiming the offer must download the app and fill out their information, and DHS “will take care of the rest—including arranging and paying for your travel back home.”
Once they have confirmed their return to their home country, they will receive $1,000.
DHS added that those who used the app to self-deport would also qualify for forgiveness for any civil fines or penalties for failing to leave the country.
“Use of the CBP Home app also preserves for you the opportunity to possibly come back to the country the legal way,” the release said.
The department first announced an incentive for those who self-deported in May, saying it would provide travel assistance and $1,000 to people leaving the country voluntarily.
What People Are Saying
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement on Monday: “The CBP Home App offers those in this country illegally a fantastic gift this holiday season: a free flight home, a $1,000 gift, and the potential opportunity to return to America the right, legal way.
“Your choice is simple: Choose self-deportation and reap the rewards, or stay here and continue breaking our laws, which will lead to you being arrested and deported. Make the right choice for you and your family this Christmas and join the 2 million illegal aliens who have already left the country: Download the CBP Home App today.”
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social in May: “Today, I signed an Executive Order to launch the first-ever self-deportation program. Illegal aliens who stay in America face punishments, including—sudden deportation, in a place and manner solely of our discretion. TO ALL ILLEGAL ALIENS: BOOK YOUR FREE FLIGHT RIGHT NOW!”
What Happens Next
Newsweek reported in September that figures from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement showed a steady rise in the number of immigrants who have self-deported since Trump returned to the White House. It remains to be seen if those numbers will continue to rise in the coming months.