The inaugural “self-deporting” charter flight took off from Houston, Texas, on Monday as part of a program the Trump administration hopes will encourage more illegal immigrants to leave the United States voluntarily.
The flight took off at 9:30 a.m., shuttling 65 people back to their home countries of Honduras and Colombia, a Department of Homeland Security official told Axios. The flight was the first in a program offering illegal immigrants $1,000 and a free flight home.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the DHS for further comment.
Trump officials have portrayed the initiative as a way for illegal immigrants to leave the country with dignity rather than be apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest, and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. “DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App.”
The program’s $1,000 gift is much less than the $17,121 average used by federal law enforcement to arrest, detain, and remove individuals. Voluntary deportations will also help alleviate overstretched immigration officials.
Immigrants can access the program through the CBP Home app. Other immigrants have already used the $1,000 to cover the cost of travel back to their home countries.
The approach has even won some sympathy from former Biden administration officials.
“In principle, [self-deporting] could be a very good option for people,” Michelle Brane, former executive director of the Biden administration’s Family Reunification Task Force, told Axios.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION NOW PAYING $1,000 TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO SELF-DEPORT
However, she added that the administration’s stick approach could scare users off.
“If people are not being coerced, are fully informed, and if it actually is a safe option that preserves people’s rights, it could be a successful program,” she added.
