Overview
- Effective Jan. 21, undocumented residents who register to leave via the CBP Home app can receive $2,600, up from the previous $1,000 offer.
- The package includes a free return flight and forgiveness of civil fines, and DHS warns that those who do not depart face arrest, removal and long-term return bars.
- DHS reports more than 2.2 million voluntary departures since January 2025 and cites an average cost of about $5,100 per voluntary exit versus over $18,000 for a forced deportation.
- The U.S. Embassy in Mexico promoted the offer on X with an AI-generated video encouraging irregular migrants to use CBP Home.
- Independent analysis from the Brookings Institution estimates total deportations at roughly 310,000–350,000, and critics cast the initiative as politically timed ahead of the November midterms.