This Cyber Monday, the Department of Homeland Security is offering something you don’t see every day: a free flight home, $1,000 in cash, forgiveness of deportation fines, and the possibility of coming back to America legally in the future.
All you have to do is download an app and tell the government you’re leaving.
Welcome to Project Homecoming—and whether you’re for it or against it, it’s changing how deportation actually works in America.
What’s Actually Being Offered
The CBP Home Mobile App has been redesigned to make voluntary self-deportation easier than ever before. The process takes only minutes: fill out a simple questionnaire, provide minimal personal information, take a clear photo, and submit.
Here’s what you get if you use it:
- Free travel assistance—the U.S. Government will arrange your travel home and obtain necessary travel documents
- A $1,000 exit bonus upon confirmation that you’ve departed the United States
- Forgiveness of any civil fines or penalties for failing to depart after a final deportation order
- Departure arranged within approximately 21 days of approval if you request assistance
- Deprioritization for ICE enforcement actions, detention, and removal while you’re processing your departure
- Preservation of the opportunity to potentially return to the United States legally in the future
This isn’t theoretical. The first use of travel assistance has already proven successful—an undocumented immigrant utilized the program to receive a ticket for a flight from Chicago to Honduras. Additional tickets have already been booked for subsequent weeks.
Who Qualifies
Not everyone is eligible. The $1,000 travel stipend incentive is available to non-criminal undocumented people in the U.S. who have encountered CBP at ports of entry or between ports of entry, and people with categorical parole. Being in immigration proceedings or having been deported before does not exclude those who qualify from the program.
But here’s the catch: The $1,000 incentive is only available to those who meet specific eligibility requirements. You will need to provide your personal details including country of origin and country of destination, contact information, and a photo of your face.
How It Actually Works
Download the CBP Home Mobile App and fill out your personal information, including taking a picture, and hit submit. After you register, you will be contacted at the phone number you provided to book your one-way plane ticket. If DHS needs more information, you will receive an email with instructions on next steps. Someone will be available to help you at each stage of the process.
The app is designed to be privacy-conscious—you don’t need to enter your A-Number or other personal identifiers in the initial submission.
The Math: Why The Government Is Doing This
Currently the average cost to arrest, detain, and remove an undocumented immigrant is $17,121. Even with the cost of the stipend and free flight, it is projected that the use of CBP Home will decrease the costs of deportation by around 70 percent.
Translation: It’s actually cheaper for the government to pay you $1,000 and arrange a flight than it is to arrest you, detain you, and deport you through the court system.
The Scale Is Staggering
The Trump Administration is on pace to shatter historic records and deport nearly 600,000 undocumented immigrants by the end of President Donald Trump’s first year since returning to office. More than 2 million undocumented immigrants have left the U.S., including 1.6 million who have voluntarily self-deported and over 527,000 deportations through formal removal proceedings.
Let that sink in. 1.6 million people have voluntarily left using programs like this.
Secretary Noem announced new nationwide ads promoting the CBP Home App. This series of ads will run on broadcast television and online, across the United States and internationally.
What Immigration Lawyers Are Saying
Here’s where it gets complicated. Immigration advocates are urging caution. While CBP Home is presented as a safer alternative than leaving on your own, it is not available to everyone in the U.S. without immigration status. Community members should proceed with caution and are encouraged to speak with an immigration attorney about their individual situations.
When you use CBP Home, you will have to let the government locate you using your cell phone. That’s how they confirm you are outside the U.S. if you leave by land. If you leave by plane or boat, CBP will confirm your departure.
It is important to determine your own eligibility carefully and review requirements for this stipend. As always, it is recommended you consult with a competent immigration attorney before taking any action.
The Offer vs. The Alternative
Secretary Kristi Noem put it bluntly: “If you are here illegally, use the CBP Home App to take control of your departure and receive financial support to return home. If you don’t, you will be subjected to fines, arrest, deportation and will never be allowed to return.”
So the choice, as presented, is:
- Take the deal: Free flight + $1,000 + fines forgiven + possible future legal return
- Reject the deal: Fines, arrest, detention, permanent deportation, no future legal entry
Expanding Access
DHS announced it is adding two new languages to the CBP Home Mobile App: Simplified Chinese and Hindi. This dramatically expands the app’s accessibility to make it easier for millions of undocumented immigrants to voluntarily self-deport.
The app is also available in Spanish, Haitian Creole, and traditional Chinese.
One More Thing
Yes, family members can be registered as co-travelers within the CBP Home Mobile App. Each co-traveler present in the United States—including minors—must be registered to receive the benefits of CBP Home self-deportation assistance.
You can bring your whole family. Everyone gets processed. Everyone gets the $1,000 (if eligible). Everyone gets to leave together.
The Bottom Line
This is a genuinely unprecedented offer in immigration policy. The federal government is essentially saying: “We’re going to pay you to leave voluntarily instead of forcing you out through the courts.”
For undocumented immigrants facing inevitable deportation, it might be the smartest financial move available. For the government, it’s cheaper and faster than the traditional deportation process.
But before you download that app, talk to an immigration lawyer. Make sure you understand what you’re giving up and what you’re gaining. Understand the implications for your future.
For more information, visit the U.S. Department of Homeland Security website or download the CBP Home Mobile App directly.
The offer is real. The deadline isn’t specified. And according to the government, if you don’t take it, there’s only one alternative: forced deportation and permanent ban from returning.
The choice is yours.
