The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a temporary increase in the economic incentive for undocumented immigrants who choose to self-deport during the holiday season. The initiative includes a $3,000 “exit bonus” for those who leave the United States before the end of December. The measure will be in effect until December 31 and will apply exclusively to people who manage their departure through the official CBP Home app. According to the federal government, the plan seeks to accelerate voluntary departures and reduce the costs associated with detentions and deportations. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem stated that since the beginning of President Donald Trump's second term in January, approximately 1.9 million immigrants residing illegally in the country have opted for voluntary self-deportation. The official warned that those who do not take advantage of this incentive will face more severe measures from immigration authorities. “If they don't self-deport, we will find them, arrest them, and they will never return,” Kristi Noem stated in an official press release. The CBP Home app and the voluntary departure plan: DHS detailed that all eligible individuals who leave the country before the end of the year will receive free airfare to their home countries. Furthermore, they will be exempt from certain purposes or civil penalties related to their illegal stay, provided their departure is voluntary.

The Trump administration has promoted the CBP Home app as a key tool to facilitate leaving the country without going through Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, thus reducing the risk of detentions and expedited removal proceedings.

The platform, which replaced the previous CBP One, allows users to declare their intention to leave, confirm their departure once it has taken place, and track their immigration status with the federal government, the Department of Homeland Security explained.

According to the DHS, The self-deportation feature is aimed at people who are in the United States without documents or whose immigration parole has expired after the expiration of temporary protections granted by the government.By formally notifying their departure through the app, migrants could avoid more serious consequences, such as arrests, prolonged legal proceedings, or permanent bans on re-entry to the country, the Department of Homeland Security indicated. The federal agency has previously reported that tens of thousands of people have used CBP Home to voluntarily leave the United States. However, it has not specified how many migrants have specifically used the app since its launch. A DHS spokesperson noted that approximately 1.6 million immigrants have left the country since January 20, although not all of them used CBP Home. During the holidays, the financial incentive was tripled from $1,000 to $3,000, Kristi Noem concluded.