Trump administration to pay $1,000 to self-deporting undocumented immigrants

• Self-deportation is the "safest" way to leave the U.S., DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement.
• Undocumented immigrants are encouraged to use the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Home App to avoid being apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), DHS said.

Zoom in: The first person deported with travel assistance recently booked a flight from Chicago to Honduras, DHS said. Additional tickets are booked throughout this month.

• The cost of a deportation is expected to decrease by about 70% with this policy, the department said in its statement.

Yes, but: Immigration lawyers previously warned against using the "self-deport" feature, cautioning that it would likely gather users' personal data with no hope of giving a legal pathway for residency or citizenship, Axios' Russell Contreras reported.

• Monday's DHS announcement said that people who volunteer to self-deport will be deprioritized for detention and removal ahead of their departure if they can "demonstrate they are making meaningful strides in completing that departure."
• Self-deportation may allow someone to re-enter the U.S. legally in the future, DHS said.

Context: In March, the Trump administration launched the CBP's Home app, which included a "self-deport" feature after shutting down the CBP One app launched under the Biden administration in October 2020.

• CBP One was initially used by commercial trucking companies to schedule cargo inspections at the U.S. border, but in January 2023, the app was expanded to allow undocumented immigrants to make asylum claims.

Zoom out: The Trump administration has tapped multiple agencies to further its goal of deporting millions of undocumented immigrants from the U.S.

• Among the agencies playing a role are the Internal Revenue Service, the Justice Department, the Social Security Administration, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Transportation Department and the U.S. Postal Service.

Go deeper: Trump's total government deportation push