Trump Offers $1,000 to Undocumented Migrants Who Self-Deport

The Trump administration has unveiled a new initiative offering \$1,000 and travel assistance to undocumented migrants who voluntarily return to their home countries. Announced at the White House on May 5, 2025, the program is designed to encourage self-deportation as a cost-effective and orderly alternative to traditional deportation procedures.

Speaking at an event in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump said the plan not only includes a financial incentive but also offers a possible legal pathway for some migrants to return to the U.S. in the future. “We’re going to pay each one a certain amount of money, and we’re going to get them a beautiful flight back to where they came from,” Trump stated. “It will give them a path to coming back into the country if they’re good people, if they’re the kind of people that we want.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem introduced the program, which will be administered through the CBP Home App—an existing platform that allows migrants to coordinate their self-deportation. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the \$1,000 stipend will be issued only after a migrant’s return is verified through the app.

DHS emphasized that self-deportation offers a “dignified” and safer process for leaving the U.S. while helping migrants avoid encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The department estimates that the program could reduce deportation costs by approximately 70%, lowering expenses from the current average of \$17,121 per case.

An undocumented migrant from Honduras has reportedly already used the new system, according to DHS. During the announcement, President Trump reiterated his campaign commitment to mass deportations and claimed that as many as 21 million undocumented migrants are living in the U.S.—a figure that far exceeds the 11 million estimated by the Pew Research Center in 2022.