By Gao Yun

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Monday, Dec. 22, that the Trump administration has introduced a voluntary departure incentive during the holiday season, increasing the subsidy for undocumented immigrants who choose to “self-deport” from the United States to $3,000, triple the previous amount.

According to DHS, the subsidy applies to individuals who are unlawfully present in the U.S. and who register and complete the departure process by the end of this year. Eligible participants will receive the $3,000 payment and a free government-provided airline ticket back to their country of origin.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement: “Illegal aliens should take this opportunity to self-deport; otherwise, if they do not, we will find them, we will arrest them, and they will never be able to return.”

Last Saturday, DHS posted an edited Christmas-themed video on social media featuring clips from the films Elf, The Santa Clause, and Die Hard, accompanied by the caption “Christmas After Mass Deportations.”

This Christmas, our hearts grow as our illegal population shrinks. pic.twitter.com/uyH80btbRQ

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) December 20, 2025

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The report said the Trump administration launched a newly renamed app, “CBP Home,” in March this year to help undocumented immigrants complete the self-deportation process. The app was previously called “CBP One,” which under the Biden administration was used to allow migrants to legally enter the United States.

DHS also said in May that the average cost of arresting, detaining, and deporting a person without legal status is about $17,000.

According to internal government data previously obtained by CBS News, during the first six months of President Trump’s second term, the U.S. government deported nearly 150,000 people, while 13,000 individuals left the country through voluntary self-departure.

In addition, the Trump administration is preparing for more aggressive immigration enforcement in 2026, planning to invest tens of billions of dollars in new funding. 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt displays a headline from the New York Times during a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on March 17, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Image: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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