Trump administration offers to pay migrants $1,000 to leave US
White House displays photos of detained immigrants on Trump's 100th day in office
"Good Morning from The White House!" White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt shared on social media, showing video of the posters, which say "arrested" at the top and appear to have a mugshot or other photo of the person followed by the label "illegal alien." Credit: Karoline Leavitt via Storyful
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration says it will offer to pay immigrants in the United States illegally who’ve returned to their home country voluntarily $1,000 as it pushes forward with its mass deportation agenda.
What they're saying:
The Department of Homeland Security said in a news release Monday that it's also paying for travel assistance and that those people who use an app called CBP Home to tell the government that they plan to return home will be "deprioritized" for detention and removal by immigration enforcement.
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"If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest. DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App," Secretary Kristi Noem said.
The backstory:
President Donald Trump has made immigration enforcement and the mass deportation of immigrants in the U.S. illegally a centerpiece of his campaign, but that is a costly, resource-intensive endeavor.
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While the Republican administration is pushing Congress for a massive increase in resources for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement department responsible for removing people from the country, it’s also pushing people in the country illegally to "self-deport."
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story comes from a news release issued by the Department of Homeland Security, which announced the offer of $1,000 and travel assistance to undocumented immigrants who voluntarily return to their home countries. This story was reported from Los Angeles.