Context:

The Trump administration has introduced a program offering $1,000 and a flight home to undocumented immigrants who voluntarily leave the United States, intending to make deportation more cost-effective. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to encourage self-deportation, thus reducing the financial and logistical burdens associated with arresting, detaining, and deporting immigrants. Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, has emphasized self-deportation as the safest and most economical option for those living illegally in the U.S. The administration has already deported approximately 140,000 migrants this year, though these numbers fall short of the president's promise to remove millions. Despite the incentives, the long-term implications of allowing return for those who self-deport remain unclear.

Dive Deeper:

• The Trump administration's new policy offers $1,000 and a flight home to undocumented immigrants who choose to self-deport, aiming to fulfill immigration promises while cutting costs related to detaining and deporting individuals.

• Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, states that self-deportation is the most cost-effective and safest way for undocumented immigrants to leave the U.S., as it avoids the expenses of arrest and detention.

• The program requires immigrants to confirm their travel home using a government app, CBP Home, which was introduced earlier in the year to streamline the process and ensure compliance.

• Despite the introduction of the self-deportation initiative, deportations remain costly due to the need for prolonged detention, travel document coordination, and chartered flights, particularly for migrants from countries with complex repatriation processes.

• President Trump has hinted at a future possibility for those who self-deport to return to the U.S. if they meet certain conditions, though details on how this would work remain unspecified.

• The administration's deportation numbers, approximately 140,000 since January, fall short of Trump's goal to deport millions of undocumented immigrants from the country.

• The strategy also involves making life uncomfortable for undocumented immigrants, such as restricting access to financial services, to encourage voluntary departure before being targeted by authorities.