The Department of Homeland Security is like really trying super hard to get unauthorized immigrants to, like, leave on their own by giving them $1,000 and help with travel. They said on Monday that if you use this app called CBP Home to leave the U.S., you’ll get the cash after you confirm you’re back in your home country.
This all comes at a time when the number of deportations hasn’t really gone up during President Trump’s first 100 days. He promised a lot of deportations, but it’s been kinda slow. The DHS didn’t really say how they’ll give out the money or what you need to prove you left your home country.
This lady, Tricia McLaughlin, from DHS said a while back that if you want to self-deport, you can use the app to show stuff like your face, where you are, and some documents to prove you left. You gotta be at least three miles away from the U.S. for it to work. And if you wanna use the app to prove you left, you gotta send a pic of your face. It’s a rule.
The DHS Secretary, Kristi Noem, says self-deporting is the best way to leave the U.S. without getting arrested. They say it costs $17,121 to deport one person, but if people leave on their own, it’ll save money. They expect it to cut costs by 70%, even with the $1,000 they’re giving out.
Like, apparently, around 5,000 immigrants have used the CBP Home app to say they’re leaving on their own, according to some think tank in Washington. But DHS won’t say how many people have actually used the app to self-deport.
This company that tracks app downloads says the CBP Home app has been downloaded about 1,500 times a day. Since the start of 2025 (which is like the future), it’s been downloaded around 300,000 times.
The Trump administration changed this app that let asylum-seekers enter the U.S. into the CBP Home app for self-deportation. They spent $200 million to change it and made ads with Noem to get people to use it. The ads are in English and Spanish and tell people who aren’t here legally to leave. DHS also said that if you say you’re leaving through the app, they won’t put you in detention before you go, as long as you’re making progress to actually leave.
They also said that if you leave through the app, there might be a chance to come back legally in the future. Some experts and advocates are like, not really sure about this self-deportation thing. They say that just because you leave, it doesn’t mean you can come back later.
Kathleen Bush-Joseph from the Migration Policy Institute said, “For many people who leave the United States, there may never be a lawful option for return to the United States, or reentry may be barred for many years.” Heidi Altman from the National Immigration Law Center said, “Forcing or coercing people into leaving their homes and their loved ones carries political, moral, and economic costs.”
So, like, it seems like DHS is trying to get people to leave on their own to save money and maybe let them come back legally later. But not everyone is really sure about how it all works out. Just something to think about.
