Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is offering triple the amount of cash to illegal immigrants who willingly leave the United States through a smartphone app as part of a “holiday deal.”
“Since January 2025, 1.9 million illegal aliens have voluntarily self-deported and tens of thousands have used the CBP Home program,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a Dec. 22 statement.
“During the Christmas Season, the U.S. taxpayer is so generously TRIPLING the incentive to leave voluntarily for those in this country illegally—offering a $3,000 exit bonus, but just until the end of the year.”
DHS earlier this year unveiled a plan for illegal immigrants to self-deport through the CBP One app, which allows them to receive $1,000 from the federal government upon leaving the United States. It also forgives any immigration-related fines or penalties they may have incurred.
Noem added, “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.”
The Trump administration has said the CBP Home app is a way for people to leave without having to deal with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The app replaced the CBP One program that was used under the Biden administration, which allowed people to schedule hearings with immigration judges and to enter the United States before it was suspended by the White House in January.
A news release issued by DHS this past week said that more than 2.5 million illegal immigrants have left the United States since President Donald Trump was sworn into office for a second time, with 1.9 million voluntarily leaving and more than 600,000 deportations.
Trump, who promised record levels of deportations during the 2024 campaign, has ramped up enforcement actions and signed numerous orders related to both immigration and border security. The president has said that it’s needed after record numbers of illegal immigrants were encountered by agents or entered the United States under the Biden administration.
The Trump administration is preparing for a new push against illegal immigration in 2026 with billions in new funding, and officials have said they plan to hire thousands more immigration agents, open new detention centers, and partner with outside companies to track down people who are in the country illegally.
ICE and the Border Patrol will receive around $170 billion in additional funds through September 2029 as part of a funding package that was passed and signed into law over the summer.
White House border czar Tom Homan said on Monday that Trump had delivered on his promise of a historic deportation operation and removing criminals while shutting down illegal immigration across the U.S.–Mexico border. Homan said the number of arrests will increase sharply as ICE hires more officers and expands detention capacity with the new funding.
“I think you’re going to see the numbers explode greatly next year,” Homan said, adding that there will be more enforcement activity at workplaces next year.
Some of the immigration-related orders have faced legal pushback. A federal appeals court in late November, for example, declined to clear the way for Trump to expand a fast-track deportation process to allow for the expedited removal of illegal immigrants who are living far away from the border.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Loading recommendations…
