Quick Take
The Trump administration announced it will be offering undocumented immigrants $1,000 to voluntarily leave the United States. Local immigration lawyers say the new policy sends a misleading message and is just another strategy to increase deportations.
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Local immigration lawyers and advocates believe the latest effort by the Trump administration to encourage undocumented immigrants to leave the country sends a misleading message that there might be a chance to return to the United States if they do so.
The Department of Homeland Security announced on May 5 that it will offer $1,000 to undocumented immigrants who voluntarily self-deport to their country of origin, and even offer travel assistance if needed.
Individuals who choose to voluntarily leave the United States must document their departure to U.S. Customs and Border Protection via the CBP Home app (previously known as CBP One) — which is intended to streamline the border entry process and access to various CBP services — once they’ve returned to their home country. People will receive the stipend only once their self-deportation has been confirmed through the app, according to the DHS website.
The Trump administration said the new policy is supposed to reduce costs to the federal government by 70% for involuntary deportations. On average, it costs $17,121 to arrest, detain and deport one person, according to the announcement. The Trump administration has deported 152,000 people since Jan. 20, according to DHS, lower than the 195,000 people deported between February and April last year under the Biden administration.
The Trump administration has already been encouraging self-deportation, placing advertisements on Spanish radio and television stations that promote leaving the country as something that will benefit undocumented immigrants later on, said immigration lawyer Lizett Rodriguez Peña. Her office is located in Hollister, but serves clients across Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties.
In the advertisement, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem tells immigrants, “If you leave now, you may have the opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American Dream.”
“I think it’s very misleading,” said Rodriguez Peña. Self-deportation is not going to open up lawful options to return to the U.S., she said; rather, it will minimize them. Once an individual voluntarily leaves the country, they are essentially waiving their rights and benefits — like being able to apply for a green card or visa one day, Rodriguez Peña said.
For many immigrants, leaving the country might trigger a permanent bar, she said. A permanent bar would prohibit individuals from reentering the country for at least 10 years before being able to apply for a visa or permanent residency.
There are no specifics on how this incentive policy will actually help people obtain legal status, Rodriguez Peña said. It’s a mixed message that people will fall for because it’s coming from the government.
“There’s no actual law that backs it up, or any guidance that backs it up on how would these individuals be able to qualify for relief later on,” she said, adding that it also robs people of their right to due process.
Capitola-based immigration lawyer Lily Sturgis said the latest move by the Trump administration feels almost desperate and primarily driven by having to appear tough on immigration and fulfill campaign promises to carry out mass deportations.
The majority of people who are in the United States without permission have fled some kind of harrowing circumstance, such as food insecurity or violence, she said. It’ll be difficult for people to give up a life in the U.S. for a small stipend. “I don’t know who would take $1,000,” Sturgis said.
She compared it to being offered $5,000 to have a baby: “What’s $5,000 going to do for me? Maybe diapers for a year. So, what is the undocumented immigrant going to do with $1,000?”
The $1,000 might be beneficial to people, but there’s no indication that voluntarily leaving the country would be beneficial, said Kate Hinnenkamp, program director at the Santa Cruz County Immigration Project.
If people decide to leave and think they might want to come back at some point in the future, keeping a personal record of rent payments or bank statements might be beneficial if a path to return to the United States opens up, Hinnenkamp said.
“If they keep records of their life outside of the country, if a path opens up for them to come back, it could be beneficial to them to be able to track the amount of time they’ve been out of the country,” she said.
Rodriguez Peña said she believes there might be people who take that $1,000 and leave the country willingly. She’s already been hearing about individuals — not any of her clients — packing up their lives and moving back to their country of origin without having an incentive, she said.
Some people would prefer to take preventive means, such as leaving the U.S., versus seeing their families ripped apart if a family member gets deported unexpectedly, Rodriguez Peña said.
It’s still unclear how DHS will be recording the self-deportations, said Rodriguez Peña. It was already difficult to schedule an appointment through the CBP app, and it’s unclear how long it will take for self-deportations to be confirmed by the federal government, she said.
“There’s thousands of people that may go through this app the way they did with CBP One,” Rodriguez Peña said. “It’s going to be hard for them to keep up and record everything.”
Hinnenkamp recommends that before people make any sort of decision that they get a legal consultation from an attorney or a Department of Justice-accredited representative. Rodriguez Peña also advises individuals to not make any decision based on emotions until they’ve received all the necessary information about their options and the consequences.
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