The federal government is offering a $3,000 “Holiday Stipend” to encourage illegal immigrants to self-deport over Christmas.
The small expense is far less than the cost of chasing and deporting migrants — and it comes amid growing economic pressure on migrants who are losing jobs and housing amid President Donald Trump’s enforcement of the nation’s popular migration laws.
“During the Christmas Season, the U.S. taxpayer is so generously TRIPLING the incentive to leave voluntarily for those in this country illegally — offering a $3,000 exit bonus, but just until the end of the year,” said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “Illegal aliens should take advantage of this gift and self-deport because if they don’t, we will find them, we will arrest them, and they will never return.”
“Since January 2025, 1.9 million illegal aliens have voluntarily self-deported, and tens of thousands have used the CBP Home program,” the agency claimed.
The statement added:
Self-deportation through the CBP Home app is the best gift that an illegal alien can give themselves and their families this holiday season. It’s a fast, free, and easy process: Just download the app, fill out your information, and DHS will take care of the rest — including arranging and paying for your travel back home.
Those illegal aliens who don’t take advantage of this special offer today have only one alternative: They will be arrested, deported, and they will never be able to return to the United States.
The reduced number of migrants will help raise Americans’ wages, reduce their rents, and encourage sidelined Americans to seek jobs. It will also force U.S. government and media elites to shift their focus from the concerns of migrants and business groups to the concerns of ordinary Americans who are facing crime, discrimination, and poverty.
There is much evidence and numerous anecdotes that many migrants are self-deporting — but no firm data showing more than 1 million self-deportations.
For example, thousands of Haitian and other migrants in the United States have crossed the border into Canada. The Canada Border Services Agency “says it processed 31,977 total asylum claims through November, a 42% decline from the same period last year,” according to a December 22 report in the Detroit News.
In December, KOLD.com described the self-deportation of a Colombian family after the father had been deported from Tucson, AZ:
Yarlidis Goez-Santos, the mother of the four children, previously told 13 News that self-deportation was the best decision for her family after her husband was deported in January 2025.
On Tuesday, Goez-Santos remained firm in her decision. Through bittersweet tears, she expressed her gratitude.
“I don’t have the words to express just how grateful I am,” Goez-Santos said. “I want to thank all the people that we met while we stayed here.”
The departure of economic migrants will pressure uncaring elites in business, politics, and government to help discarded Americans return to work, health, and prosperity.