The Trump administration just unveiled a creative strategy to secure the border, offering a $1,000 stipend to illegal immigrants who voluntarily self-deport using the CBP Home app. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) suggests this initiative will not only expedite the removal of undocumented immigrants but also deliver substantial savings for taxpayers.

In addition to the stipend, the program covers airfare, bringing the total cost to approximately $4,500 per individual. The Daily Wire highlighted this as “a significant reduction from the estimated $17,000 it costs the federal government to detain and deport an illegal immigrant.” DHS has clarified that no funds will be disbursed until individuals have verifiably exited the United States. The agency also emphasized that self-deportation preserves the option for legal re-entry in the future.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem promoted the plan on X. “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. This is the safest option for our law enforcement, aliens and is a 70% savings for US taxpayers. Download the CBP Home App TODAY and self-deport.”

Originally launched in October 2020 during the first Trump administration, the CBP Home App was designed “to help with truck inspections at the border,” according to DW. Repurposed by the Biden administration to facilitate asylum claims, the app has now been redirected under Trump’s leadership to streamline the self-deportation process, aligning with his aggressive deportation agenda by letting users register for self-deportation, schedule departure, and verify exit from the U.S.

Stephen Miller, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor, also weighed in. He posted, “The cost savings per illegal alien family that accepts voluntary departure will be as much as $1 million, based on the welfare and public benefits made available to illegals (which are especially large in blue cities and states).” In a separate post, he added, “The choice facing illegals: [1.] Leave now and get free flight + exit bonus 2. Refuse to leave and face a fine of 1K daily, prosecution and imprisonment, forfeiture of all assets, garnishment of all wages, confiscation of all property, deportation whenever and wherever we choose.”

From the Oval Office, President Donald Trump stated, “We’re going to get them a beautiful flight back to where they came from. They will have a period of time, and if they make it, we’re going to work with them so that, maybe someday, with a little work they can come back in.”

Some have argued that this plan may be seen as rewarding illegals “with taxpayer money for breaking the law,” Fox News noted. However, DHS stated that the end goal is ultimately to save money and remove illegal immigrants from the U.S.

Beyond the stipend program, Trump’s immigration policies have had a broader impact. In a comment to Newsweek, Kathleen Bush-Joseph, policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), said, “I fully expect that departures reported through the app will be counted towards the Trump administration’s deportations tally, which is reportedly not as high as the president would like it to be.”

At the same time, MPI did note that Trump’s team has managed to “dramatically reshape the U.S. immigration system” within his first 100 days. Per their analysis, “In all, the Trump administration has taken 181 immigration-specific executive actions through April 29. … That exceeds the 94 actions of the Biden administration’s first 100 days and is a sixfold increase over the fewer than 30 actions during the same period in Trump’s first term.” And “while [the Trump administration’s] goal of 1 million deportations a year may be difficult to achieve, the administration’s impact across the immigration system is nonetheless likely to be historic.”

In fact, as The Washington Stand’s Ben Johnson recently pointed out, Trump’s “policies have proven effective.” So far, he has “returned order to the U.S. border by reinstating the Remain in Mexico policy, [ended] the policy of catch-and-release, designating criminal syndicates such as Tren de Aragua and MS-13 as foreign terrorist organizations or criminal enterprises, and [has utilized] the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport illegal immigrants.” These measures, and others, have been accomplished all while federal judges have been actively targeting Trump’s border agenda.

Concerning the recent pitch to give stipends to illegals who self-deport, some are not so supportive of the idea. For example, Aaron Reichlin, a pro-migration advocate for the Immigration Council advocacy group, said, “This option might be WORSE for people who take advantage of it. For people [illegal migrants] in immigration court, it would likely mean a deportation order. For others [not detained for deportation], it would abandon clear options for staying.”

Reichlin also claimed that paying migrants to leave “raises VERY serious questions about statutory authority and funding sources.” However, border czar Tom Homan addressed those concerns, saying he believes this system of deportation will “have some movement … because … people are finally getting the message if you leave on your own, you can take advantage of legal programs [and] come back.” However, he added, “We have to go through the process of formally deporting you.”

Ultimately, Homan explained that for those who enter illegally, “There are mandatory bars against you for up to 20 years — sometimes forever.” But this plan, he explained, allows the “future … opportunity of legal entry. Do things the right way.”