The first flight under the Trump administration’s Project Homecoming on Monday sent 64 immigrants from Honduras and Colombia back to their home country. The government-funded flight is one tactic in President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
What the Department of Homeland Security is calling a “historical opportunity” for immigrants, the self-deportation program promises illegal immigrants financial assistance for their departure and compensation for removing themselves voluntarily, as opposed to law enforcement.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem posted on social media that using the CBP Home app to self-deport and “take control of your departure and receive financial support to return home” is ultimately a better alternative than being “subjected to fines, arrest, deportation” and never allowed to return to the U.S., even legally.
According to the DHS press release, 38 of the 64 participants were returned to Honduras, and 26 to Colombia. In addition to the U.S. stipend, Hondurans were allowed “the Honduran government’s ‘Hermano, Hermana, Vuelve a Casa’ program, which includes an additional $100 bonus for people over 18, food vouchers and assistance in finding employment, and the Colombians were ”provided social services from the Family Welfare Institute (ICBF), and the Department of Social Prosperity" by the Colombia government upon arrival.
Since the Trump administration launched the self-deportation program, skeptics have criticized it, noting that they don’t anticipate many illegal immigrants will take up the offer.
In a recent America’s Voice en Español column, the publication’s senior adviser, Maribel Hastings, said the self-deportation program is a means for Trump to boost the deportation numbers he campaigned on, and the fact that under the Biden administration, more illegal immigrants were deported at this time last year (192,000) than Trump’s administration currently has (152,000).
“That is why Trump even wants to deport people who are authorized to be in the country, some in the process of obtaining asylum, as well as students on visas, for opposing the administration’s policies,” Hastings wrote. “Undocumented people who have spent their whole lives contributing billions of dollars to the economy, to the fabric of this country, who work in key industries, and who have citizen children and grandchildren, deserve to be legalized. Not given $1,000 and a one-way ticket to self-deport.”
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, wrote in an article published by MSNBC, that anyone considering the self-deportation program should speak with an attorney first.
“Leaving the country may mean giving up on a very real chance at staying here legally under laws and processes that already exist,” he said. “Given this, it’s critical for anyone considering taking this offer to speak with a qualified and competent attorney first.”
How does self deportation work?
The 10-step process on the DHS website begins with downloading their app. This is what the steps look like:
- Download the CBP Home App.
- Sign in using Login.gov.
- Select the departing traveler.
- Select intent to depart.
- Take a photo of yourself.
- Complete personal information.
- Answer questions regarding passports and financial needs.
- Submit to CBP Home.
- Receive confirmation.
- Report if any assistance is required in departing.
Kevin Antonio Posadas, who is originally from Honduras but has been living in Texas for the last three years, told The Associated Press that when the Trump administration made the announcement, he had already considered going home to be with family.
“I wanted to see my family and my mom,” he said, noting that the process was easy.
“You just apply (through the CBP Home app) and in three days you’ve got it,” he said. “It’s good because you save the cost of the flight if you have the intention of leaving.”