The Trump administration has announced a new initiative offering $1,000 in assistance to undocumented migrants who choose to voluntarily leave the United States.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the offer is intended to encourage undocumented individuals to depart on their own, warning that the costs of forced deportation are significantly higher if they are apprehended.
Reuters reports that the travel assistance is available to those who voluntarily opt for self-deportation from the U.S.
DHS officials stated that for those residing illegally in the United States, voluntary departure remains the safest, most affordable, and most efficient option to avoid arrest and detention.
They noted that the average cost of a forced deportation is currently around $17,000, whereas voluntarily leaving the country significantly reduces those expenses.
So far, the Trump administration has deported approximately 152,000 individuals, compared to 195,000 deportations carried out under the Biden administration.
As of January 2025, the number of undocumented migrants in the U.S. had reached approximately 14.5 million—up from 11 million in 2022. Of these, 10.1 million reside in mixed-status households where one or more family members are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.
