The United States will offer $3,000 in cash to undocumented migrants who agree to leave the country voluntarily by the end of the year, the US Department of Homeland Security said.
In a statement, the department said the payment, described as a “departure assistance stipend,” will be provided through the CBP Home mobile application. Migrants who register for voluntary departure through the app will also be offered free flights to their home countries, the department said.
The department said those who use the CBP Home programme would be eligible for forgiveness of any civil fines or penalties related to overstaying or failing to leave the United States.
Kristi Noem, the US secretary of homeland security, said the programme aims to encourage voluntary departures.
“Since January 2025, 1.9 million undocumented migrants have voluntarily departed the United States, and tens of thousands have used the CBP Home app,” Noem said. She added that the incentive had been increased temporarily during the Christmas period and would be available only until the end of the year.
“If they do not leave voluntarily, we will find them, arrest them and they will never be allowed to return,” she said.
The announcement comes as President Trump has pursued tougher immigration policies since returning to the White House on Jan. 20, including suspending several migration programmes affecting Afghan nationals.
Trump has also instructed US consulates worldwide to halt the issuance of visas to Afghan citizens, according to US officials.
Separately, the Department of Homeland Security and US immigration authorities have detained hundreds of migrants across multiple states this year and transferred them to detention facilities, officials said.
