As the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) prepares to formalize a new self-deportation policy, voices are rising to denounce what some describe as a “deceptive and cynical strategy” aimed at pushing undocumented immigrants to voluntarily leave the United States.
According to information shared by Fox News reporter Bill Melugin, the Trump administration’s new initiative would allow undocumented immigrants to register to leave the country at their own expense, while receiving financial incentives after their effective departure.
Noting the exorbitant cost of ICE agent operations, “DHS will announce today that it will begin funding commercial flights for illegal aliens who agree to self-deport, and will pay them a $1,000 bonus once their departure is confirmed,” Melugin posted on X (formerly Twitter), as reported by Raw Story.
DHS officials, still quoted by Melugin, claim that this program would save approximately 70% of costs related to arrests, detentions, and deportations. “The average cost of a forced deportation exceeds $17,000, while this program would cost an average of only $4,500 per person,” according to Raw Story. Additionally, DHS argues that this would reduce risks for immigration agents and free up resources.
For many immigrant rights activists, this decision is an admission of failure in the Trump administration’s immigration policy, which is beginning to realize that it is mathematically impossible to deport all undocumented immigrants in the United States — more than 11 million people.
Several immigration specialists are sounding the alarm about what they describe as a deceptive and cruel method aimed at forcing immigrants to voluntarily leave the United States. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, an attorney with the American Immigration Council, warns that this measure could severely harm migrants’ rights.
“It’s incredibly cruel for DHS to suggest that those who voluntarily leave the country will be able to legally return to the United States afterward,” he stated on X, according to Raw Story. “Many people might believe this promise and end up in a much worse legal situation. It’s a trap,” he emphasizes.
The expert points out that many undocumented migrants are actually asylum seekers, trying to escape violence or persecution in their home countries. If they are encouraged to leave, the government could then use their departure as a pretext to deny them any protection upon return.
“This would make it much easier to exclude these individuals from the asylum program,” explained Reichlin-Melnick, who strongly advised immigrants not to fall for the Trump administration’s trap.
Everyone in the United States has the right to due process. While the federal government might want to deport everyone, there is a judicial process that must be respected in all cases.
This initiative comes as the Trump administration attempts to legally equate asylum seekers with other categories of irregular migrants—a practice denounced as illegal by several rights advocacy groups. Additionally, Republican lawmakers in Congress are currently proposing the implementation of particularly high fees for asylum applications, which could make the procedure inaccessible to the majority of those concerned.
