Trump offers migrants $1,000 to 'self-deport'

The Department of Homeland Security says undocumented immigrants can leave the US in a more 'dignified way'

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt promotes "self-deportation"
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt promotes 'self-deportation'
(Image credit: Andrew Harnik / Getty Images)

What happened

The Department of Homeland Security said Monday it would give $1,000 and a plane ticket home to any undocumented immigrants who opted to "self-deport," calling the "historic" offer a "dignified way to leave the U.S." Migrants who register for "voluntary self-deportation" through the Customs and Border Protection app will be "deprioritized for detention and removal," DHS said, so long as "they are making meaningful strides" toward their departure.

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Rafi Schwartz, The Week US

Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.