US offers stipend to migrants who agree to voluntarily leave country
Illustrative photo: In the US, illegal immigrants are offered a payment for voluntary return to their homeland (Getty Images)
The United States launches a self-deportation program that offers $1,000 to illegal migrants who agree to leave the country on their own, according to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
"Any illegal alien who uses the CBP Home App to self-deport will also receive a stipend of $1,000 dollars, paid after their return to their home country has been confirmed through the app," the statement of the DHS says.
The department emphasized that "self-deportation is a dignified way to leave the US" and allows migrants to avoid encounters with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). DHS officials noted that the first stipend has already been issued to a Honduran national who returned home.
Officials also pointed out that choosing self-deportation may help illegal immigrants return to the United States legally in the future.
Trump’s announcement
US President Donald Trump announced the self-deportation program in April.
He pledged that illegal migrants who voluntarily agree to return to their home countries would receive a stipend and a plane ticket for their departure from the United States.
Trump also stated that those who behave well may be allowed to return to the US legally in the future.
