SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras — The United States on Monday carried out its first government-funded flight under a newly launched voluntary deportation program, sending 68 migrants back to Honduras and Colombia as part of President Donald Trump’s intensified crackdown on illegal immigration.
The flight, which departed from Houston, Texas, arrived in San Pedro Sula carrying 38 Hondurans—including 19 children—who accepted the Biden administration’s offer to leave the country voluntarily in exchange for financial assistance and a potential path to legal reentry. Each adult migrant received a $1,000 prepaid debit card from the U.S. government and assurances they could later apply for lawful immigration.
Aboard the same flight were 26 Colombian nationals, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
“This is about providing migrants the opportunity to leave with dignity, resources, and a chance to pursue legal entry in the future,” said U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “If you are here illegally, use the CBP Home App to take control of your departure and receive financial support. If not, you will face fines, arrest, deportation, and a permanent ban on reentry.”
President Trump has vowed to significantly ramp up deportations during his second term, pairing the voluntary program with highly publicized enforcement measures. These include mass detentions and the controversial transfer of several hundred Venezuelan migrants to a maximum-security facility in El Salvador.
While experts say the voluntary deportation initiative may appeal only to a limited number of undocumented migrants already inclined to return, it marks a major policy pivot toward incentivized repatriation.
One returnee, Kevin Antonio Posadas of Tegucigalpa, said he had lived in Houston for three years before opting into the program. “I wanted to see my family and my mom,” Posadas said after arriving in San Pedro Sula. “The process was easy. You just apply through the CBP Home App and in three days you’ve got it. It’s good because you save the cost of the flight if you already planned to leave.”
Posadas said he liked life in the U.S. and was not fearful of deportation, but had been weighing a return to Honduras for some time. He added that he might consider applying for legal entry into the U.S. in the future under the terms of the program.
Honduran officials welcomed the migrants at the airport. Deputy Foreign Minister Antonio García said his government would supplement the U.S. aid with $100 in cash and an additional $200 in credit at a government-run store selling essential goods.
Among the arrivals were four U.S.-born children, García confirmed, noting that several families cited increasing difficulties in the U.S., including rising hostility, legal uncertainty, and fear of workplace enforcement.
“Some of them told me they didn’t feel safe working anymore. They were tired of the tension,” García said.
Still, officials downplayed the likelihood of a mass exodus. Honduras’ immigration director Wilson Paz said deportation numbers remain lower than last year’s. About 13,500 Hondurans have been returned from the U.S. so far this year, compared to more than 15,000 by the same time in 2024.
While the Trump administration is pushing to accelerate removals, Paz said he expects only moderate participation in the self-deportation program. “I don’t think it will be thousands who apply,” he said. “But our duty is to ensure that those who do return are supported and do so in an orderly way.”
The program underscores the Trump administration’s broader goal of reshaping the immigration system through both deterrence and incentive-based strategies. Whether the voluntary departures will gain momentum remains to be seen amid ongoing legal, political, and humanitarian debates over immigration enforcement.
