U.S. to Pay $1,000 to Migrants Who Self-Deport

U.S. to Pay $1,000 to Migrants Who Self-Deport

Trump administration turns to incentives as it tries to ramp up removals

By Michelle Hackman, WSJ

Updated May 5, 2025 12:51 pm ET

The Trump administration plans to begin paying immigrants in the country illegally a stipend of $1,000 to self-deport, the Department of Homeland Security said Monday.

The administration has set up a mobile app that migrants can use to make departure plans. The app provides assistance in booking flights whose costs the government would cover in addition to facilitating payment of the stipend.

The details

Migrants would receive their $1,000 payments once they confirm that they have arrived in their home country, DHS said. One migrant has already received payment after self-deporting from Chicago to Honduras, the agency said. Even after covering migrants’ flights and paying out stipends, the self deportation program would still save the government money, according to the administration.

“If you are here illegally, self deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X.

It couldn’t be determined where DHS is finding the money in the government’s budget to pay stipends, or how much money it has allotted for them. Representatives for the department didn’t respond to requests for additional comment.

The context

The Trump administration has converted a Biden-era mobile app known as CBP One, which migrants used to make appointments to enter the country legally, into a platform for people to report their plans to self deport. The app is now called CBP Home. CBP stands for Customs and Border Protection, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security.

Until now, migrants had no incentive to report their plans.

It isn’t clear whether offering migrants a relatively small stipend will be enough to convince more people to leave voluntarily.

The significance

President Trump is struggling to increase deportations to fulfill one of his core campaign promises. Under his watch, the rate of deportations has lagged behind the final year of the Biden administration slightly. In Trump’s first 100 days, the administration deported 66,000 people, or about 660 a day, compared with 742 a day in 2024.

To boost its numbers, the administration needs more immigrants to leave voluntarily. Until now, they have relied on tactics such as the threat of arrest to encourage people to leave.