Homeland Security said Monday that it will pay a $1,000 reward to illegal immigrants who self-deport out of the U.S.
The move, which the department called “travel assistance,” is the latest in a full-scale push to have people leave on their own, rather than wait for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to catch up with them and begin a full, formal deportation.
Homeland Security said it not only offers a carrot to the migrants but is a good deal for taxpayers, given that the average cost to detain and deport an illegal immigrant is more than $17,000.
“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest,” Secretary Kristi Noem said.
The money is to be paid out after migrants confirm they are in their home country.
The system relies on a new app, CBP Home, developed by the Trump administration to encourage self-deportation. It replaced the CBP One app, which the Biden administration had used to bring in hundreds of thousands of unauthorized migrants.
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Migrants looking to collect the $1,000 reward will register their upcoming departure through the app.
