Trump's $1,000 offer to migrants who self-deport in fresh mass deportation push

The Trump administration has announced a new program offering $1,000 and help with travel costs to migrants who choose to leave the United States on their own. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it on Monday.

According to DHS, it costs around $17,000 to arrest, hold, and deport a person who is in the US without legal permission. In comparison, giving a small amount of money and covering travel expenses for voluntary departure is much cheaper.

"If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest, and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest," said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in a statement.

Since taking office on January 20, President Donald Trump’s administration has deported 152,000 people. That’s fewer than the 195,000 deported from February to April last year during President Joe Biden’s term. Trump had promised to deport millions, but so far, the number is lower than during the Biden administration.

Since his inauguration on January 20, President Donald Trump has deported 152,000 people, Reuters reported. That is less than the 195,000 deported between February and April last year under President Joe Biden. Trump had vowed to deport millions but has only managed fewer than under the Biden administration so far.

TRUMP GOVERNMENT PUSHES VOLUNTARY EXIT PLANS

To encourage more people to self-deport, the Trump administration has also made other moves. These include threatening them with hefty fines, trying to strip away legal status, and deporting migrants to notorious prisons in Guantnamo Bay and El Salvador.

In March, the government relaunched an application called CBP Home to facilitate self-deportation. It is a rebranded version of the CBP. One application was used previously by the Biden administration to enable migrants to enter the US legally.

President Trump spoke about the plan in April, saying that some migrants who leave might be allowed to return later.

"If they're good, if we want them back in, we're going to work with them to get them back in as quickly as we can," he said.

On Monday, DHS said that migrants who leave voluntarily "may help preserve" their chance of coming back legally in the future, but it did not explain any clear way or program for that to happen.

President Trump has made a strong promise during his campaign to remove millions of undocumented migrants.

(With inputs from Reuters)