FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security will front the cost of commercial flights and provide a $1,000 stipend to illegal aliens who opt to self-deport from the United States in a move DHS says will save thousands of dollars.
The department says this will be 70% cheaper for American taxpayers, as it currently costs DHS, on average, over $17,000 to arrest, detain, and deport someone. DHS told Fox News that paying for aliens to remove themselves, even with the stipend, is anticipated to cost only around $4,500 on average.
The stipend would not be paid until it was verified that an individual self-deported. Aliens will use the CBP Home self-deportation app to access this assistance, and DHS expects self-removals, already in the thousands, to ramp up significantly with this announcement.
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According to a news release, those who use the CBP Home app to leave the U.S. will be “deprioritized for detention and removal” if they are actually taking steps to exit the country.
“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News in a statement.
“DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App. This is the safest option for our law enforcement, aliens and is a 70% savings for US taxpayers. Download the CBP Home App TODAY and self-deport,” she continued.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE
DHS says that self-deportation allows individuals a chance to come back into the country legally one day.
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Still, the move could be controversial among some critics, as some will see it as aliens being rewarded with taxpayer money for breaking the law. DHS acknowledged this concern with Fox News, and the department reinforced that this will save taxpayers significant amounts of money in the bigger picture, with the end goal of getting illegal aliens out of the country.
ICE TOUTS RECORD-BREAKING IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT DURING TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS
Millions of people entered the country illegally under the Biden administration, and new apprehensions at the border have come to a near-screeching halt.
In addition, the Trump administration has put a primary focus on deporting individuals with criminal convictions and charges against them on top of being in the country illegally. This includes transferring some alleged MS-13 and Tren de Aragua gang members to a prison in El Salvador, as the two groups were designated a foreign terrorist organization by Trump.
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