Trump admin to offer stipend, free flights for self-deportation

President Donald Trump said he plans the stipends as part of his initiative to encourage illegal immigrants to self-deport rather than face deportation enforcement action.

By Amanda Head

Published: April 16, 2025 10:43am

Trump said in an interview that aired Tuesday that his administration plans to offer money for illegal aliens to leave the country voluntarily and will provide flights returning to their home country.

"We're going to give them some money and a plane ticket, and then we're going to work with them. If they're good, if we want them back in, we're going to work with them to get them back in as quickly as we can," he told Fox Noticias' Rachel Campos-Duffy, who is married to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

The plan echoes other messaging from the administration, including a commercial featuring Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem who tells viewers that if illegal aliens self-deport, they may have the opportunity to come back in the future. But if they don't, and they are arrested and deported, they will never be able to return.