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DHS Raises Self-Deportation Stipend to $2,600 Via CBP Home App

The department says the richer incentive will cut enforcement costs, though outside analysts and prior investigations question its data and execution.

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NOGALES, MEXICO - JANUARY 21: A immigrant from Venezuela tries in vain to access the CBP One app day a day after the second inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump on January 21, 2025 in Nogales, Mexico. The incoming administration shut down the app which was created by the Biden administration to allow migrants to schedule appointments to gain entry into the United States. Trump signed executive orders on his first day in office declaring a state of emergency at the U.S. southern border, halting asylum claims and launching a campaign of mass deportations. The Venezuelan woman said she had been waiting with her family in Mexico City for 11 months for an appointment with U.S. immigration officials which they had scheduled with the app. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Migrants who register to depart through the CBP Home app are promised a $2,600 payment, a free flight home, and potential forgiveness of civil fines, with DHS signaling the offer may be temporary.
  • DHS claims 2.2 million people have voluntarily left since January 2025 and says tens of thousands used the app, figures challenged by Brookings and by reporting from outlets that call the totals unverified or implausible.
  • The agency has said about 100,000 migrants have received bonuses so far, indicating at least $100 million in payments to date.
  • DHS argues the program saves money, estimating about $18,245 for a forced removal versus roughly $5,100 per app-facilitated departure even after the stipend.
  • Investigations have documented delays, missed payments, and misleading or confusing eligibility, and Time reports the program is funded partly by $250 million redirected from refugee-resettlement funds.