The Department of Homeland Security announced it conducted its first flight for dozens of migrants who wanted to self-deport, just two weeks after offering a $1,000 stipend to those willing to leave the country voluntarily.
The agency detailed in a social media publication that 64 people were flown from Houston to Honduras and Colombia. "All participants were offered the same benefits as any illegal alien who self-deports using the CBP Home App. They received travel assistance, a $1,000 stipend, and preserved the possibility they could one day return to the United States legally," the post added.
Today, DHS conducted the first Project Homecoming charter flight from Houston, TX, to Honduras and Colombia, bringing 64 participants who opted to self-deport back to their home countries.
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) May 19, 2025
All participants were offered the same benefits as any illegal alien who self-deports… pic.twitter.com/r0uAFejUVh
The agency also uploaded a video of the operation, showing migrants boarding a bus to the airport. Some of those filmed wave at the camera or give it a thumbs up. Two women with babies are also shown picking a stuffed animal from a table. A girl also picks one up along with someone who appears to be a U.S. official.
The Associated Press noted that migrants were given $1,000 debit cards from the U.S. government as well as an offer to eventually be allowed to apply for legal entry into the country. The Honduran government said it is also giving returning migrants $100 in cash and $200 in credit at a government-run store selling basic goods.
A migrant who took the offer, Kevin Antonio Posadas, told the outlet that he made the decision because he wanted to see his family." He said he applied through the CBP Home app and was contacted for the flight in three days. "It's good because you save the cost of the flight if you have the intention of leaving," he added.
It is the latest financial incentive from the Trump administration as it attempts to ramp up deportations. In April the administration warned that it plans to begin imposing daily $998 fines to those who carry a deportation order and fail to leave the country.
The plan stems from a 1996 law that states that any immigrant subject to a "final order of removal" who "willfully fails or refuses" to leave the U.S. can face a civil penalty of "not more than $500" every day. The administration plans to apply the penalties retroactively to undocumented migrants for up to five years, resulting in fines of more than $1 million, an administration official told Reuters.
In fact, last week an undocumented Honduran woman living in Florida was fined over $1.82 million by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for failing to depart the country following a 2005 removal order.
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