Trump offering stipend to illegal migrants who self-deport

The Trump administration plans to give migrants illegally living in the United States a $1,000 stipend if they willingly return to their native country, the Department of Homeland Security said Monday. The government would also off balance travel costs for migrants who register to self-deport in the Customs and Border Patrol app. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described self-deportation as the safest and most cost-effective way to avoid being arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

ICE highlighted the initiative as a way for migrants to say goodbye to loved ones in the country and leave on their own terms while also getting to choose their arrival point in their home country. President Donald Trump spoke on the initiative Monday and noted that the government could give illegal migrants who willingly leave a path for future citizenship. Migrants who don't take this chance to willingly leave will be arrested by ICE, and a path to citizenship will be much tougher, he said. Politicians Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., both threw public support behind the new initiative on Monday.

How does it make sense for taxpayers to pay illegal migrants to leave? The self-deportation deal is the safest option for law enforcement and will yield a 70% cost savings, Noem wrote. White House Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller also cited large public spending savings with the stipend plan. The government would save $1 million at most in long-term welfare and public services per illegal migrant family, he wrote Monday.

The government launched a multimillion-dollar ad campaign in February, encouraging migrants illegally in the country to willingly self-deport. Migrants found and deported by ICE will never be allowed to return, but migrants who make the conscious decision to leave may still have the opportunity to return legally later on, Noem said in the ad.