US Raises Voluntary Self-Deportation Incentive to $3,000 for Undocumented Migrants

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has increased the financial incentive for undocumented migrants who voluntarily leave the country, tripling 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 the U.S. government and depart the country before the end of the year will be eligible for the payment.

DHS said migrants who leave by December 31, 2025, will also be provided with free airfare to their home countries and may have certain civil fines or penalties related to unlawful presence waived, as long as they use the CBP Home app to complete the process.

The CBP Home smartphone application, which is modeled after the Biden administration’s CBP One platform, has been repurposed under the Trump administration to manage voluntary departures. Migrants are required to indicate their intention to leave through the app.

According to DHS officials, once eligibility is verified, participants will receive travel support and the $3,000 payment after the government confirms that they have exited the United States.

In a statement to CBS News, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem warned that undocumented migrants who fail to take advantage of the temporary incentive would face enforcement action. She said they would be “found,” “arrested” and “never return” to the U.S.

Originally designed to schedule asylum appointments, the CBP One app has been restructured as part of the Trump administration’s mass deportation strategy. It now functions as a voluntary departure tool that allows migrants without legal status to report and track their exit from the country.

DHS said the higher stipend is part of a holiday-season push to accelerate removals while cutting costs. The agency noted that assisting migrants with travel is significantly cheaper than traditional enforcement, adding that as of May 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) estimated the average cost of arresting, detaining and deporting an undocumented migrant at about $17,000.

Under the self-deportation programme, DHS said participants are deprioritised for ICE arrest and detention as long as they make “meaningful strides” toward leaving the country. However, officials have not clarified how long this protection lasts or how compliance is assessed.

While ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrests remain central to the administration’s immigration crackdown, President Donald Trump has also promoted policies aimed at encouraging undocumented families and unaccompanied children to leave voluntarily.

In October, the U.S. government announced plans to offer migrant teenagers $2,500 to voluntarily return to their home countries, CBS News previously reported.

DHS claims that since January 2025, about 1.9 million undocumented migrants have “voluntarily self-deported,” with “tens of thousands” using the CBP Home programme. These figures have not been independently verified by CBS News, and DHS has not released detailed data showing how many migrants received government-funded travel or stipends.

Previously obtained internal government data cited by CBS News showed that during the first six months of President Trump’s second term, nearly 150,000 people were deported, while about 13,000 were recorded as having self-deported.

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