US raises self-deportation incentive to $3,000 for undocumented migrants

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has tripled the financial incentive offered to undocumented migrants willing to voluntarily leave the country, raising the so-called “exit bonus” from $1,000 to $3,000 under its self-deportation programme.

Under the revised policy, undocumented migrants who register with U.S. authorities and exit the country on or before December 31, 2025, will qualify for the payment.

DHS said eligible participants will also receive free airfare to their home countries, while certain civil fines and penalties linked to unlawful presence may be waived, provided migrants complete the process through the CBP Home mobile application.

The CBP Home app, a rebranded version of the CBP One platform introduced under the Biden administration, has been repurposed by the Trump administration to facilitate voluntary departures as part of its broader immigration enforcement agenda.

Migrants are required to signal their intention to leave the U.S. through the app. DHS officials said once eligibility is verified, participants will receive travel assistance, with the $3,000 stipend paid only after confirmation that the individual has exited the country.

Speaking to CBS News, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem warned that undocumented migrants who decline the temporary incentive risk being tracked, arrested and permanently barred from re-entering the United States.

The DHS said the increased stipend forms part of a holiday-season push aimed at accelerating removals while reducing enforcement costs. According to the agency, facilitating voluntary departures is significantly cheaper than traditional deportation processes.

As of May 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) estimated that arresting, detaining and removing a single undocumented migrant costs an average of $17,000.

Under the programme, participants are deprioritised for ICE arrest and detention as long as they demonstrate what DHS described as “meaningful progress” toward leaving the country.

However, officials have not clarified how long such protection lasts or how compliance is assessed.

Although arrests by ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) remain central to the administration’s immigration crackdown, President Trump has increasingly promoted policies aimed at encouraging families and unaccompanied minors to voluntarily depart the U.S.

In October, the U.S. government announced plans to offer $2,500 stipends to migrant teenagers who agree to return to their countries of origin.

DHS claims that since January 2025, approximately 1.9 million undocumented migrants have voluntarily left the U.S., with “tens of thousands” doing so through the CBP Home programme.

However, these figures have not been independently verified, and DHS has yet to publish detailed data on how many migrants received government-funded travel or financial incentives.

Internal government records previously obtained by CBS News indicate that during the first six months of President Trump’s second term, nearly 150,000 migrants were deported, while about 13,000 were officially recorded as having self-deported.

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