The Trump administration, like, just announced a plan on Monday to try to ramp up the number of deportations and stuff. They’re gonna pay unauthorized immigrants $1,000 if they, like, go back to their home country voluntarily. The Department of Homeland Security was all like, “Yo, this is a historic opportunity for illegal aliens,” and they said they would even pay for travel assistance. So, if any immigrant uses the Customs and Border Protection Home App to tell the government they wanna peace out, they’ll get a $1,000 payment after the government double-checks they actually left.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was like, “If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest, and most cost-effective way to bounce from the U.S. to avoid getting arrested and stuff.” She also said, “This is the safest option for our law enforcement, aliens, and is like a 70% savings for US taxpayers.” President Trump, who’s all about those mass deportations, has been pushing for this since the start of his term. But, like, fewer immigrants are trying to cross the border now, so the actual number of deportations under his Republican administration has been a bit slow compared to his Democratic predecessor, President Biden.
Last week, Trump was all about signing executive orders to make federal agencies list out “sanctuary cities” that ain’t cooperating with immigration enforcement. The Trump administration is all about promoting these incentives for unauthorized immigrants to leave on their own as a “dignified way to bounce from the U.S.” They’re saying it’ll make them less likely to get detained or picked up by ICE if they show they’re making plans to leave.
But, like, some experts are saying this is a total lie. They’re like, “Yo, DHS is being so cruel by telling people that they can come back to the U.S. legally if they leave.” Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, was all over social media saying that leaving could have some serious consequences for people without status, with a 10-year ban on reentry being the best-case scenario.
In an interview with Fox News, a Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman was like, “If you take this deal, you could possibly come back the right way and live the American dream.” She was all like, “This could totally put you in a better spot cuz you have proof you decided to bounce.” When asked why immigrants should trust the administration’s offer, she was like, “We’re giving you our word that we’ll give you the cash and you can leave right now. It’s the safest way. You won’t get arrested, you won’t get detained, and we’ll hook you up with a free flight.”
The Trump administration is also saying that this plan is a deal for American taxpayers. They’re saying that even with the $1,000 payment, using CBP Home will save 70% on the costs of a deportation, which usually averages over $17,000. Homeland Security mentioned that an immigrant who was here illegally used the program to get a flight ticket from Chicago to Honduras, and more tickets have been booked for the coming weeks.
So, like, that’s the deal with the whole deportation thing. It’s a developing story and all, so stay tuned for updates.
