2.2 Million Illegal Immigrants Voluntarily Deported
Since January, around 2.2 million individuals living illegally in the U.S. have chosen to leave, as stated by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
To mark the one-year milestone of this administration, taxpayers are now offered an increased incentive, with a $2,600 exit bonus for those who depart voluntarily, Noem reported.
She urged those living in the country without legal status to take advantage of this opportunity, hinting that otherwise, the government would take action to apprehend them.
In contrast, the previous administration had provided a $1,000 incentive for voluntary departures.
As Noem pointed out in a tweet, since January 2025, 2.2 million individuals have opted for voluntary deportation, stating that “tens of thousands” are participating in a special program by Customs and Border Protection.
During the first year of Trump’s presidency, nearly 3 million illegal immigrants were deported. Meanwhile, the voluntary departures from this year exceeded the 675,000 deportations done through more conventional methods, like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The current administration has enhanced efforts for voluntary deportation by repurposing the CBP One mobile app, which previously connected migrants to asylum processes, into a self-deportation tool.
Noem remarked on a decrease in fentanyl trafficking at the southern border, noting that it has dropped by more than half compared to 2024. Recently, the U.S. Coast Guard seized a significant amount of drugs, stating it could have put over 177 million lives at risk.
She also highlighted that this administration has saved taxpayers more than $13.2 billion, asserting that the focus remains on American communities.
Interestingly, the number of border crossings has seen a major decline: last December, there were only 10,000 encounters, down from over 96,000 in December 2024. Notably, in December 2023, encounters had reached nearly 302,000.
On his first anniversary in office for his second term, President Trump praised the achievements of his administration in tackling border issues and enforcing immigration policies, claiming, “We’ve done more than any other administration has ever done.”
