WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security is launching a new incentive program aimed at encouraging undocumented immigrants to leave the United States voluntarily, offering travel assistance and a $1,000 stipend for those who use a government-issued app to report their departure.
In an announcement Monday, DHS said individuals who submit their intent to self-deport through the CBP Home mobile app will receive logistical assistance to return to their country of origin and a monetary stipend “paid after their return to their home country has been confirmed through the app.” The initiative represents a strategic pivot by the Trump administration to reduce the cost of formal deportations and bolster immigration enforcement without large-scale detentions or removals.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem framed the program as “the best, safest, and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest,” noting that each formal deportation currently costs taxpayers an estimated $17,121. By comparison, officials believe self-deportations under the new program could reduce those expenses by up to 70%, even after accounting for the financial incentive.
The announcement comes amid stagnating deportation figures during President Donald Trump’s second term, despite his repeated pledges to enact mass removals of unauthorized immigrants. With immigration policy once again a central political issue, the administration is betting that voluntary departures via digital platforms will accelerate removals while softening public scrutiny over large-scale enforcement raids.
Self-deportation through CBP Home app
The CBP Home app, launched earlier this year, is a revamped version of the Biden-era CBP One app, which had been designed to streamline legal asylum processing. Under Trump, the technology has been retooled to function as a self-reporting platform for undocumented individuals seeking to leave the U.S.
DHS officials explained that users can verify their departure through biometric and geolocation data submitted via the app. “The alien must be at least three miles outside of the United States to successfully utilize this feature,” said agency spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, adding that users must also submit a facial image to complete the verification process.
The department has not disclosed exactly how payments will be delivered or what formal documentation will be required to confirm a completed departure. However, DHS said that immigrants who initiate the process through the app will be deprioritized for detention and removal efforts, provided they can show “meaningful strides” toward leaving the country.
More than 5,000 individuals have reportedly initiated self-deportation procedures using the app since January, according to data from the Migration Policy Institute, though DHS has declined to confirm official figures. Analytics firm Appfigures said the CBP Home app has been downloaded approximately 300,000 times in 2025 alone, averaging 1,500 new users per day.
Critics warn of legal ambiguity and coercion
Immigrant rights groups and policy analysts have raised serious concerns about the program’s long-term implications, warning that the prospect of legal reentry for those who self-deport remains tenuous at best.
“The operative word in that quote from the secretary is ‘may,’” said Kathleen Bush-Joseph, a policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, referring to DHS statements that self-deportation “may help preserve the option for an illegal alien to re-enter the United States legally in the future.”
Heidi Altman, vice president of policy at the National Immigration Law Center, called the program potentially coercive. “Forcing or coercing people into leaving their homes and their loved ones carries political, moral, and economic costs,” she said.
$200 million campaign includes nationwide ad push
The Trump administration has invested $200 million into rebranding the app and launching a bilingual ad campaign to promote voluntary departures. Television and radio spots featuring Secretary Noem have aired across both the U.S. and Mexico, urging undocumented immigrants to “take control of their return journey.”
The ads emphasize the potential for future legal reentry and encourage users to begin the departure process promptly. But advocacy organizations remain skeptical, noting that individuals who leave the U.S. after residing unlawfully often face multi-year or permanent bans on reentry, depending on their specific immigration history.
The rollout of the stipend program marks one of the most high-profile and unconventional immigration initiatives under Trump’s current administration — a blend of technology, deterrence, and financial incentives designed to address the ongoing crisis at the southern border while minimizing the political fallout of aggressive enforcement actions.
