DHS to Forgive Fines of Illegal Immigrants Who Self-Deport

Illegal immigrants will also receive a $1,000 exit bonus after departure.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection security agents guide illegal immigrants onboard a C-17 Globemaster III for a removal flight at Fort Bliss, Texas, on Jan. 23, 2025. Dept. of Defense photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas J. De La Pena

Any civil fines and penalties an illegal immigrant faces for failing to leave the United States shall be forgiven if they self-deport via the CBP Home app, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced in a June 9 statement.

The CBP Home app provides illegal immigrants a streamlined digital solution to self-deport, allowing them to notify the U.S. government of their intent to depart the country and check estimated border wait times, among other things. The app asks a series of guided questions, through which users are directed to appropriate deportation services based on their situation.

“Currently, an illegal alien can be fined nearly $1,000 per day [if] they do not depart after a final deportation order,” the statement reads. “Additionally, an illegal alien can also be fined for failing to depart in a timely manner after a voluntary departure order.”

So far, DHS has issued more than 9,000 such fine notices worth roughly $3 billion, the agency said. Using the CBP Home App allows illegal immigrants to avoid penalties.

In addition, illegal immigrants receive a $1,000 exit bonus and cost-free travel. The bonus is paid after the exit is confirmed via the app.

According to the DHS, self-deportation is the “safest and most cost-efficient way” to leave the United States.

“If you are here illegally, use the CBP Home App to take control of your departure and receive financial support to return home,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement.

“If you don’t, you will be subjected to fines, arrest, deportation and will never be allowed to return. If you are in this country illegally, self-deport NOW and preserve your opportunity to potentially return the legal, right way.”

The CBP Home app was launched on March 10. Its release followed President Donald Trump’s ending the CBP One app on his first day in office. CBP One was launched in 2020 and expanded in 2021, with the app used by migrants outside the United States during the prior administration for submitting information before crossing the border.

In a March 10 statement that was posted on social media platform X, Noem said that the Biden administration used CBP One to allow “more than 1 million aliens to illegally enter the United States.”

“With the launching of the CBP Home app, we are restoring integrity to our immigration system,” she said.

Deporting Illegal Immigrants

The incentives for using the CBP Home app are only available to certain groups of illegal immigrants, according to the DHS website.

For instance, non-criminal illegal immigrants who have had an encounter with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at ports of entry or between ports of entry are eligible for incentives. Similarly, illegal immigrants whose temporary protected status has been terminated also qualify.

“Illegal aliens who register for voluntary self-departure through the CBP Home Mobile App will receive travel assistance, such as arranging travel for their children or extended family or obtaining valid travel documents. Aliens requesting assistance will have a timely departure arranged for them (estimated departure to be within 21 days of approval),” DHS said.

“Once illegal aliens submit their intent to depart through the CBP Home Mobile App and pass vetting, they will be deprioritized by ICE for enforcement action, detention, and removal before their scheduled departure.”

In April, DHS revoked the legal status of individuals who entered the United States using the CBP One app. Some of the more than 900,000 illegal immigrants who came in via the app were notified about their status revocation.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s policies have led to a massive drop in illegal immigrants entering the United States.

In April, Border Patrol registered 8,383 apprehensions along the southwest border, which was a 93 percent drop from the previous year, the CBP said in a May 12 statement. The average daily apprehensions were 279, down from 4,297 a year ago.

“For the first time in years, more agents are back in the field—patrolling territories that CBP didn’t have the bandwidth or manpower to oversee just six months ago,” Pete Flores, acting commissioner of CBP, said in a statement.

“But thanks to this administration’s dramatic shift in security posture at our border, we are now seeing operational control becoming a reality—and it’s only just beginning.”