President Donald Trump on Saturday, May 10 signed an executive order that will see illegal aliens (illegal immigrants) self-deport themselves without any consequences.
The proclamation, bringing forth the establishment of ‘Project Homecoming’, is meant to encourage illegal aliens to voluntarily depart the United States (U.S).
The executive order offers illegal aliens a choice: leave voluntarily with Federal support and financial assistance or face strict enforcement and penalties.
With the signing of the proclamation, the U.S government will fund flights at no cost to illegal aliens, facilitate travel for those lacking valid travel documents, and offer a concierge service at airports to assist with booking travel and claiming an exit bonus.
The proclamation also establishes an “exit bonus” as a financial incentive for illegal aliens who agree to voluntarily and permanently depart the U.S.
Other aspects of the proclamation
- It launches a nationwide communications campaign to inform illegal aliens of the Project Homecoming program and of the consequences of remaining, including removal, prosecution, fines, wage garnishment, and property confiscation.
- It directs a full-scale, aggressive deportation surge, including with an additional 20,000 officers, for illegal aliens who do not depart voluntarily.
During his presidential re-election campaigns, President Trump pledged to deal with the issue of illegal immigrants, promising the largest deportation the largest deportation programme in American history.
His administration says that during the Biden Administration, the southern border was overrun by cartels, criminal gangs, suspected terrorists, human traffickers, smugglers, and illicit narcotics.
“The Biden Administration’s lenient border policies allowed thousands of illegal aliens to enter the United States daily, with 40% of catch-and-release migrants totally disappearing,” a factsheet of Project Homecoming says. “At one point in 2024, illegal aliens made up 75% of arrests in Midtown Manhattan for crimes like assault, robbery, and domestic violence.”
Anyone who does not self-deport, Trump said, can face “significant jail time, enormous financial penalties, confiscation of all property, garnishment of all wages, imprisonment and incarceration, and sudden deportation in a place and manner solely of our discretion.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Monday that her department will operate a $1,000 stipend program, to be paid after a person’s return to their home country has been confirmed through the CBP Home app.
Trump and his allies have always insisted that illegal immigrants strain American schools and hospitals, limiting their capacity to serve citizens, and diverts billions of dollars in Federal, state, and local social services from Americans in need.
In fiscal year 2023, for instance, the fiscal burden of illegal aliens was estimated to exceed $150 billion in taxpayer dollars, covering costs like health care, food stamps, housing, education, and emergency services.
By incentivising voluntary departure, the Trump Administration says Project Homecoming aims to reduce these costs and restore resources for American citizens.
