Take $3,000 and go home: US tells undocumented migrants to self-deport

The Trump administration says the scheme will cut enforcement costs and speed up removals, with travel arranged through the CBP Home app

The Trump administration on Monday announced it would offer undocumented migrants $3,000 (approximately Rs 268,600) and paid travel if they agree to leave the United States voluntarily before the end of the year, as part of a renewed push to accelerate deportations and reduce enforcement costs.

 

Under the scheme, migrants who choose to self-deport using the CBP Home app will have their travel arranged and paid for by the Department of Homeland Security. They will also qualify for forgiveness of any civil fines or penalties linked to overstaying or failing to leave the country. The $3,000 payment is three times higher than the $1,000 incentive announced in May.

 

 

The announcement forms part of a holiday-season drive to increase removals. In one social media post, the Homeland Security Department warned people living illegally in the US that they were “GOING HO HO HOME”.

 

“Illegal aliens should take advantage of this gift and self-deport because if they don’t, we will find them, we will arrest them, and they will never return,” said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

 

“Each self-deportation saves taxpayers up to a million dollars (or more) in future benefits,” said Trump adviser Stephen Miller in a post on X, without providing details.

 

Who qualifies for the $3,000 stipend

 

According to the Department of Homeland Security, two broad categories of migrants are eligible:

 

• Non-criminal foreign nationals who were encountered by Customs and Border Protection at a port of entry or between ports of entry and are now in the US without valid status 

• Parolees whose authorised period of stay has expired or is about to expire

 

Applicants must be physically present in the United States at the time they register their intent to leave.

 

In a separate advisory, the US embassy warned that people who overstayed valid visas could face arrest, fines, deportation and a permanent travel ban.

 

“They may be deported and could face a permanent ban on future travel to the United States,” the embassy said in a post on X.

 

What undocumented Indians should know

 

Immigration lawyers say options for those without legal status, particularly people who entered the US illegally, remain extremely limited.

 

“There are not many legal pathways for those on illegal status, especially the ones with criminal records,” said Ajay Sharma, founder of Abhinav Immigration Services.

 

“Even those without criminal records who try to file in any permitted category must leave the country once to get new status validated, and the probability of being denied re-entry is still very high,” he said.

 

Sharma added that a history of illegal stay in the US can also affect future visa access to other countries.

 

Jonathan Grode, US practice director at immigration law firm Green and Spiegel, said outcomes vary based on individual circumstances.

 

“Options really depend on the person’s individual status and if they have family or other means of staying in the US, such as asylum. Generally speaking, employment sponsorship is not an option,” Grode said.

 

“If you are a visa overstay, marriage to a US citizen can quell the issue – but no other filing really can. So even if you had an employer, it does not mean you can get status,” he said.

 

“The only other real avenue is asylum – but that is predicated on a specific fear of harm if you return to your home country.”

 

Deportations under Trump since January 20, 2025

 

Since January 2025, 1.9 million undocumented migrants have voluntarily self-deported, with tens of thousands using the CBP Home app, according to Noem. Those figures could not be independently verified.

 

The app was introduced during the Biden administration to allow migrants to schedule asylum interviews, before being repurposed by President Donald Trump’s team for voluntary departures.

 

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement data shows that more than 335,000 people have been deported since Trump took office. According to India’s ministry of external affairs, 3,258 Indian nationals have been deported since January 2025.

 

US officials describe the programme as a cheaper alternative to arrests and forced removals. Government estimates put the average cost of arresting, detaining and removing a migrant at about $17,000 per person, even before the new incentive payments.