Trump admin pushes for self-deportations over the holidays

Summary

• The Trump administration offers a "bonus" of US$3,000 for undocumented migrants who voluntarily leave the US before the end of the year.
• Those who do not accept the offer face arrest, deportation, and a permanent ban from returning to the United States, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
• ICE promotes "self-deportation" via an app, offering $3,000 and using controversial imagery, while the State Department highlights visa revocations.

WASHINGTON - “Limited time offer”: the Trump administration has tripled to US$3,000 (S$3,900) what it’s calling a “bonus” for undocumented migrants who voluntarily choose to leave the United States – but only during the holiday season.

“Until the end of the year, take advantage of a US$3,000 bonus to head home for the holidays,” the US Department of Homeland Security says on its website.

“Those illegal aliens who don’t take advantage of this special offer today have only one alternative: They will be arrested, deported, and they will never be able to return to the United States,” the department says.

President Donald Trump has made preventing unlawful immigration and expelling undocumented migrants top priorities during his second term, and has tightened conditions for entering the US and obtaining visas.

Since May, Mr Trump’s administration has also implemented a “self-deportation” programme under which people who are in the US illegally can register for voluntary departure via an app in exchange for US$1,000 plus travel costs.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is likewise pushing for migrants to voluntarily leave over the holidays, posting on X: “AVOID ICE AIR AND SANTA’S NAUGHTY LIST! Self-deport today with the CBP Home app, earn $3,000 and spend Christmas at home with loved ones.”

The post included a video of a white-bearded man dressed as Santa Claus – but with a red ICE flak jacket and a badge – detaining and deporting a person, as Carol Of The Bells plays in the background.

ICE – which critics accuse of transforming into a paramilitary force – has been tasked with deporting an unprecedented number of undocumented migrants during Mr Trump’s second term.

The US State Department has weighed with a different holiday-linked message, posting a screenshot of a Fox News clip that said 95,000 visas – including for more than 8,000 international students – had been revoked during 2025.

“Merry (early) Christmas,” text accompanying the screenshot said. AFP