The United States government announced on Monday that undocumented migrants who decide to leave the country on their own will receive $1,000 and free travel back to their home country.
This plan, introduced by President Donald Trump and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is aimed at reducing the costs of deportation and giving some migrants the chance to legally return in the future.
The DHS explained that migrants who want to use this program can do so through the CBP Home App. Once the app confirms that the person has safely arrived back home, they will receive the $1,000 payment.
According to the DHS, self-deportation is seen as a safer and less expensive way for undocumented migrants to leave the U.S. without being arrested or detained by immigration officials.
Currently, the government spends an average of $17,121 to arrest, detain, and remove one undocumented migrant.
With the new programme, the DHS believes it can cut deportation costs by about 70 percent.
The department also shared that a migrant from Honduras has already used the app to return home under this plan.
President Trump stated that some of the migrants who use the program may later be allowed to return to the U.S. legally, depending on their background and behaviour.
During his time in office, Trump has promised mass deportations, and he claimed there are about 21 million undocumented migrants in the country, though recent data from the Pew Research Center estimates the number to be closer to 11 million as of 2022.
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