The Trump administration is nearly tripling its cash incentive for illegal aliens who agree to leave voluntarily, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Thursday, while framing the move as part of a one-year milestone for the administration.
"Since January 2025, 2.2 million illegal aliens have voluntarily self-deported and tens of thousands have used the CBP Home program," Noem said in an X post.
"To celebrate one year of this administration, the U.S. taxpayer is generously increasing the incentive to leave voluntarily for those in this country illegally - offering a $2,600 exit bonus," she added.
The new stipend raises the incentive for those who choose to self-deport from the current amount of $1,000.
Noem issued a warning to people who do not "take advantage of this gift."
"Illegal aliens should take advantage of this gift and self-deport because if they don't, we will find them, we will arrest them, and they will never return," said Noem.
The Department of Homeland Security has promoted voluntary departures as a central part of its broader immigration enforcement strategy, encouraging individuals to leave the country on their own rather than face arrest, detention, and removal proceedings.
Officials have said the CBP Home program allows participants to arrange travel, confirm their departure through the app, and receive financial assistance once their exit is verified.
The offer was raised to $3,000 during the holidays, when the DHS said it was "generously tripling" the amount for the Christmas season for those who registered on the app by the end of 2025, Time reported Thursday.
The administration has said voluntary self-deportation reduces enforcement costs for taxpayers while freeing up resources for targeting criminal illegal aliens and repeat immigration offenders.
The Home program is funded by $250 million originally allocated for helping to resettle refugees and reduce deportation costs.
According to DHS, it costs about $18,000 to carry out a single enforced deportation, while using the Home app costs just over $5,000, including the stipend.
DHS maintains the program is lawful, cost-effective, and consistent with the administration's enforcement priorities, but critics have questioned the accuracy of publicly cited self-deportation figures and raised concerns about the use of taxpayer funds for cash incentives.
"Offering undocumented migrants a cash stipend to leave the country is neither sound policy nor smart politics, and with this administration's antipathy toward migrants, it could well be a trap with life-altering consequences," attorney Raul Reyes wrote last year.
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