On May 5, President Donald Trump proposed a self-deportation policy called “Project Homecoming” that would offer undocumented immigrants a $1,000 stipend and a free flight if they voluntarily leave the United States. Using CBP Home — a mobile app originally designed to aid users with lawful immigration processing — immigrants can schedule their departure and bypass formal deportation procedures, including detention or arrest.
This proposed self-deportation policy not only contradicts Trump’s anticipation of having a fiscally responsible year, but also wastes government resources, ignores immigrants’ significant economic contributions and promotes an inhumane approach to immigration reform.
Since his inauguration, Trump has made significant cuts to government services and imposed tariffs to reduce reliance on foreign imports. Given his apparent interest in cutting government spending, it is confounding that he would support a policy that allocates federal funds for plane tickets, and provides cash incentives to remove immigrants who are, in many cases, essential contributors to the U.S. workforce and economy.
Trump is pledging to cut down on government spending, but hopes to instill tax breaks — a fiscally irresponsible decision that wastes a large portion of government funds. Thus, he must have a back-up plan as to how else he plans to make up for the lost revenue caused by deporting immigrants.
Conducting mass deportations of undocumented immigrants is a misuse of government funds and taxpayer dollars, and will ultimately work toward plummeting the economic growth of the U.S. for no good reason.
However, many supporters of the plan are on board with mass deportations, believing that undocumented immigrants don’t add as much value to our economy as they actually do. Proponents also argue that self-deportation is cheaper than traditional deportation processes. In a recent press release, the Department of Homeland Security claimed that removing an undocumented immigrant currently costs about $17,121, and that the self-deportation program would cut those costs by 70%.
No matter the cost of traditional deportation methods, the Department of Homeland Security would have less spending costs if it simply allowed the majority of immigrants to remain in the United States, and instead focused deportation efforts only on those who have committed a criminal offense. It’s counterproductive to offer cash and flight incentives to remove individuals who are paying taxes and filling essential labor roles that many other Americans are unwilling to do.
Undocumented immigrants make substantial contributions to the American economy. In 2022, their contributions added a total of $96.7 billion in taxes. This includes $19.5 billion in federal income taxes, $32.3 billion in federal payroll taxes and another $37.3 billion at the state and local levels. As a whole, they paid a greater effective state and local tax rate (10.1%) than the top 1% of income earners, who paid a rate of only 7.2%.
These numbers debunk the myth that undocumented immigrants drain public resources and do not contribute much to the economy. The unfortunate reality is that they are helping to fund the very government that seeks to remove them.
Beyond taxes, undocumented immigrants provide essential labor across agriculture, construction and hospitality industries. These jobs are often physically demanding, low-paying jobs that other U.S. citizens avoid due to their thankless nature. Removing these workers would not only hurt the economy, but also worsen existing labor shortages. Therefore, Trump’s self-deportation plan pushes out people who keep businesses alive with little financial reward.
Aside from economic factors, it’s inhumane to see so many immigrants coming to the U.S. in hopes of escaping poverty, violence or instability to build a better life for their families, only to be shut down and threatened with deportation. The promise of the American dream has drawn millions to this country, many of whom start at the bottom and work tirelessly to climb the economic ladder.
But now, by pushing people to leave the U.S. through voluntary deportation, the government sends a message that their hopes of working hard in America are not welcome.
Some immigrants may take the offer because they’ve been so discouraged by anti-immigrant sentiment or they are simply afraid of the consequences of staying. However, this isn’t a truly “voluntary” decision. Immigrants are being coerced by fear tactics. No one should be forced into such a decision out of fear or desperation to begin with.
To add to the troubling trend, Trump’s stated intention of ending birthright citizenship for certain children born in the U.S. is another issue, one that goes directly against the Fourteenth Amendment. This amendment states that all persons born or naturalized in the United States are citizens, guarantees “equal protection under the laws” and enforces due process, which protects individuals from state actions that deprive them of life, liberty or property. But unfortunately, Trump is hoping to eradicate this amendment.
Trump’s anti-immigrant efforts contradict his claim that, “If you’re really good, we’re going to try to help you get back in.” If these individuals are “good enough” to return and contribute to the U.S. workforce, why are they being forced out in the first place?
The policy is more about political posturing than actual governance. It does nothing to address the real issues within the immigration system — namely, the lack of an efficient pathway to citizenship, long wait times and inconsistent enforcement. Instead of investing in these much-needed reforms, the government is spending money to remove productive, law-abiding residents.
Instead of focusing on deportation efforts, the federal government should streamline the path to legal residency and citizenship to fix a fundamentally broken system. This change would not only allow immigrants to have equal opportunities in society, but also eliminate the need for costly enforcement strategies like traditional deportation or self-deportation. Deportation should be reserved for those who pose legitimate safety threats, not for those who came here to work their way up the economic ladder, pay their taxes and raise their families.
At its core, America’s strength has always come from its immigrants. The country’s economic and cultural development would be nowhere near where it is today without the contributions of hardworking immigrants –– including undocumented ones. The idea that the government is spending money to remove them goes against the core beliefs that this nation was founded on.
Trump must quit enacting this proposed self-deportation policy, which goes against his fiscal goals, wastes government funds and resources, ignores the economic contributions made by immigrants, and inhumanely disregards immigrants. Instead, immigration reform must solve its fundamental systemic issues and quit vilifying immigrants, who are people too.
Julia Kremenetsky is an Opinion Intern for the spring 2025 quarter. She can be reached at jkremene@uci.edu.
Edited by Casey Mendoza and Joshua Gonzales.
