Margelis Tinoco, 48, of Colombia, cries Jan. 20, 2025, after finding out her 1 p.m. appointment was no longer valid via the CBP One app.
Washington D.C. – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Monday that it is offering unauthorized immigrants $1,000 and travel assistance if they voluntarily leave the United States. This is a new and controversial effort by the Trump administration to speed up deportations while cutting costs.
Under the program, those who use the CBP Home mobile app to initiate self-deportation will receive a $1,000 stipend after DHS confirms their departure. The app uses geolocation, document uploads, and facial recognition to verify that the individual is at least three miles outside of the U.S. border. Only then will the funds be issued, DHS officials said.
“Self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in a press release. “This is the safest option for our law enforcement, aliens, and is a 70% savings for U.S. taxpayers.”
According to DHS estimates, a formal deportation costs more than $17,000 per person, factoring in arrest, detention, and removal operations. By contrast, self-deportation with travel and the stipend included is expected to cost just $4,500. The department says this initiative could save millions as the number of deportations under President Trump has stagnated in his first 100 days, despite campaign promises to remove large numbers of undocumented immigrants swiftly.
The new program has already drawn interest. According to the Migration Policy Institute, DHS claims that thousands have already used the CBP Home app to begin the process, with more than 5,000 self-deportations reportedly registered this year. Appfigures, a company that tracks mobile downloads, reports that CBP Home has been downloaded 300,000 times in 2025, with about 1,500 new downloads per day.
While the department insists this strategy is a financial win, critics argue it’s effectively rewarding undocumented immigrants with taxpayer funds. DHS acknowledged those concerns in a statement, emphasizing that the bigger picture is about “getting illegal aliens out of the country” as cost-effectively as possible.
Some immigration experts say the policy signals either a struggle to fulfill Trump’s mass deportation promise or a pivot to more pragmatic — and less politically explosive — means of enforcement. Either way, the program underscores the administration’s continuing challenges in executing its hardline immigration agenda.
