Trump admin to pay $1,000 'stipend' for illegal immigrants' self-deportation

The administration on Monday, 5 May, announced a $1,000 financial incentive for all illegal immigrants who .

“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest,” Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement.

Department of Homeland Security said any illegal individual who uses the Home App of US Customs and Border Patrol to self-deport will receive a stipend of $1000, paid after their return to their home country has been confirmed through the app. This amounts to more than Rs. 81,000 in Indian currency.

“DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App,” Noem said.

Self-deportation is a dignified way to leave the US and will allow those staying illegally to avoid being encountered by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the statement said. “Even with the cost of the stipend, it is projected that the use of CBP Home will decrease the costs of a deportation by around 70 per cent. Currently the average cost to arrest, detain, and remove an illegal alien is $17,121,” DHS said.  

According to DHS, the first use of travel assistance has already proven successful. One person allowed into the US by the Biden administration recently utilised the program to receive a ticket for a flight from Chicago to Honduras. Additional tickets have already been booked for this week and the following week.

Those submitting their intent to voluntarily self-deport in the CBP Home App will also be deprioritised for detention and removal ahead of their departure as long as they demonstrate they are making meaningful strides in completing that departure.

The United States is estimated to have more than 11 million illegal immigrants, with India accounting for 220,000, as per a 2022 estimate of Department of Homeland Security.

Courtesy: 5wh.com