The Department of Homeland Security is sending a very clear message this Christmas season, and it is one that the media will predictably twist. The Trump administration is dramatically increasing incentives for illegal aliens to voluntarily leave the United States, offering a $3,000 financial bonus plus government funded travel home for anyone who self deport using the CBP Home app before the end of the year.
This is not some feel good gesture. It is a cold, practical enforcement strategy, and frankly, it is long overdue. Under the program, illegal aliens who comply will also have outstanding civil penalties or fines wiped clean. Overstays, failure to depart, all of it erased if they leave voluntarily. That is the carrot. The stick is even clearer.
“Since January 2025, 1.9 million illegal aliens have voluntarily self-deported, and tens of thousands have used the CBP Home program,” said Kristi Noem. She also made it clear this holiday incentive is temporary, saying the taxpayer is “TRIPLING the incentive to leave voluntarily” but only until the end of the year. Translation, take the deal now, or face the consequences later.
DHS has tripled its "exit bonus" from $1,000 to $3,000 for illegal migrants who sign up with the federal government and depart by Dec. 31, 2025.https://t.co/ZRjvOBTP4u
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) December 22, 2025
And those consequences are not vague. Noem spelled it out bluntly. If illegal aliens do not take advantage of the offer, “we will find them, we will arrest them, and they will never return.” That is not cruelty. That is enforcement, something Washington forgot how to do for years.
In its press release, Department of Homeland Security described the offer as “the best gift that an illegal alien can give themselves and their families this holiday season.” It is fast, free, and easy. Download the app, fill out the information, and DHS handles everything, including airfare home. No court battles, no detention facilities, no endless taxpayer expense.
Critics will scream about paying people to leave, but here is the part they never mention. According to government estimates, arresting, detaining, and deporting a single illegal alien can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Self deportation costs a fraction of that. Paying $3,000 now saves taxpayers massive amounts later, while restoring order to the system.
This program is part of the broader Trump administration effort to deal with the tens of millions of illegal aliens currently living in the country. Self deportation is faster, cheaper, and more humane than forced removals. It also preserves the possibility, however slim, that someone could apply to return legally someday instead of being permanently barred.
The incentive was first introduced back in June as a way for illegal aliens to “take control of their departure.” The Christmas increase is simply smart timing. People want to be home with family. DHS is giving them a chance to do that legally and peacefully.
The message could not be clearer. Take the offer, go home, wipe the slate clean. Or ignore it, and the next knock on the door will not come with a check.
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