President Donald Trump gestures from the stairs of Air Force One upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)2025-05-05T14:51:05Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Trump administration says it is going to pay immigrants in the United States illegally whove returned to their home country voluntarily $1,000 as it pushes forward with its mass deportation agenda.The Department of Homeland Security said in a news release Monday that its also paying for travel assistance and that those people who use an app called CBP Home to tell the government that they plan to return home will be deprioritized for detention and removal by immigration enforcement. If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest. DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App, Secretary Kristi Noem said. President Donald Trump has made immigration enforcement and the mass deportation of immigrants in the U.S. illegally a centerpiece of his campaign, but that is a costly, resource-intensive endeavor. While the Republican administration is pushing Congress for a massive increase in resources for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement department responsible for removing people from the country, its also pushing people in the country illegally to self-deport. REBECCA SANTANA Santana covers the Department of Homeland Security for The Associated Press. She has extensive experience reporting in such places as Russia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. twitter mailto