Leaving the United States through the CBP Home app costs the Trump administration $3,500 per person, while an involuntary deportation averages $17,000–$17,100 per person. If you’re an undocumented immigrant weighing your next move, those numbers explain why The government is pushing “self-deportation” so aggressively—and why the personal cost to you can be far higher than the government’s price tag.
This comparison matters most if you don’t have a criminal conviction and you’re trying to decide whether to depart on your own terms or stay and risk arrest, detention, and forced removal. Your choice affects your ability to return in the future, your family, and your legal options.
Two paths DHS is pushing: leave via CBP Home vs forced removal
The government is promoting self-deportation as a faster, cheaper way to boost removal numbers and move toward President Trump’s goal of 1 million annual removals. Under this approach, you use the CBP Home app (rebranded from the Biden-era CBP One app) to register your intent to depart, and then the government helps pay for the trip.
The alternative is the traditional enforcement route: arrest, detention, immigration court steps (if applicable), and physical removal.
CBP Home self-deportation vs involuntary deportation: side-by-side
| Feature | Option A: CBP Home app self-deportation | Option B: Involuntary deportation (arrest/detention/removal) |
|---|---|---|
| Government cost per person | $3,500 | $17,000–$17,100 |
| Travel support | Free government-provided airfare | Government-arranged removal after arrest/detention |
| Cash payment | $1,000 stipend | None |
| Enforcement priority while you plan departure | Deprioritized for arrest while arranging departure | Higher risk of arrest, detention, and removal |
| Legal process | You effectively give up due process rights in exchange for incentives | Process driven by enforcement and case outcomes |
| Fines pressure | $1,000 daily fines are forgiven for app users | Non-participants face daily fines, plus risk of asset confiscation |
| Scale and use | Nearly 38,000 used the app from March 2025 through November 25, 2025 | DHS reported 605,000 involuntary removals since Trump took office |
| Funding behind the approach | Over $200 million in advertising; $250 million shifted from refugee aid funds for flights/stipends | Costs tied to detention infrastructure, staffing, and transportation |
Option A deep dive: Self-deportation through the CBP Home app
What you get if you use CBP Home
If you qualify under the program as described, CBP Home offers three major incentives:
- $1,000 stipend
- Free government-provided airfare
- Lower enforcement attention while you coordinate departure (DHS describes participants as deprioritized for arrest during that window)
A DHS spokesperson framed the program as an 80% savings compared to involuntary deportations. From the government’s view, the math is simple: self-deportation avoids many detention and enforcement costs.
Before relying on CBP Home, verify whether you’ve accrued unlawful presence and whether a 3-year or 10-year bar applies. Gather entry dates, and consult an immigration attorney to map future options.
Who the program targets
The program is aimed at undocumented immigrants without criminal convictions. It is built to encourage quick exits while reducing the need for detention space and officer time.
To learn more about CBP programs and updates, start with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
What you give up: due process and future options
The biggest tradeoff is legal. When you self-deport through this program, you’re not just buying a plane ticket and leaving. You’re also making a choice that affects your case options.
If you’ve been in the U.S. without lawful status for more than 180 days, departing triggers reentry penalties under immigration law:
- 3-year bar or 10-year bar (based on how long you accrued unlawful presence)
That can block you from returning with a visa, even if you later qualify through family or employment. It can also change what you can pursue later, including asylum-related paths and temporary protections discussed publicly.
Important: Before you leave, confirm whether you have accrued unlawful presence and whether a bar applies to you. This single issue decides whether “leaving now” turns into “locked out for years.”
The pressure campaign behind “voluntary” departures
The CBP Home offer does not exist in a vacuum. It sits alongside enforcement measures meant to make staying feel impossible.
One major tool is financial pressure. Non-participants face $1,000 daily fines. By late May 2025, DHS had imposed nearly $2 billion in fines on 7,000+ people. The program’s pitch is blunt: use the app and those fines are forgiven.
Why DHS promotes this as “safe and dignified”
DHS has described self-deportation as a “safe and dignified” option for “lawbreakers here illegally.” The messaging is part of a large public campaign. The government spent over $200 million on advertising, and it moved $250 million from State Department refugee aid funds under the 1962 Migration and Refugee Assistance Act to pay for flights and stipends.
There were also visible signs of scale. The first government-chartered voluntary flight took place on May 19, 2025, carrying 64 people to Honduras and Colombia.
Who self-deportation can harm the most
If you have deep roots in the U.S., the personal cost rises fast:
- You can be separated from U.S.-based children, spouses, and caregivers.
- You can lose a job and housing immediately.
- Returning to your home country can mean economic hardship and safety concerns.
- You may lose momentum on any pending legal strategy you were building.
Those impacts don’t show up in the government’s $3,500 figure, but they land on you and your family.
Option B deep dive: Involuntary deportation after arrest and detention
What “involuntary deportation” means in practice
Involuntary deportation is the enforcement path: authorities arrest you, detain you, and remove you. DHS pegs the average cost at $17,000–$17,100 per person because the government pays for the machinery around removal—arrest operations, detention beds, transport, and administration.
For you, the defining features are loss of control and higher immediate consequences:
- You don’t control timing.
- You may be detained far from family.
- You may have limited ability to gather records, contact witnesses, or manage personal affairs.
- Your family may not know where you are at first.
How the numbers support broader enforcement goals
DHS has reported 2.5 million immigrants departed since Trump took office, including 1.9 million described as voluntary self-deportation and 605,000 involuntary.
Immigration court data points to a sharp increase in voluntary departure grants inside court as well. TRAC reported judges granted over 28,000 voluntary departure applications in 2025 alone, compared to 29,000 across Biden’s four years.
Even if you never use the CBP Home app, the enforcement system still pushes the same end point: departure. The difference is whether you leave with incentives and reduced arrest priority, or whether you leave through detention.
Hidden system-wide costs that still affect you
Large-scale deportation efforts involve major spending beyond per-person averages. Critics such as the American Immigration Council estimate full deportation plans at $315 billion minimum.
There were also plans discussed around detention at Guantanamo Bay that were paused. Costs were cited as high as $100,000/day per detainee. Those figures don’t change your case directly, but they show how quickly the enforcement approach drives policy choices that can shape detention conditions and capacity.
Which option is right for you? Use these real-world scenarios
Choose Option A (CBP Home self-deportation) if all of these are true
- You have decided you will depart and you want to avoid arrest and detention.
- You need help paying for travel and the $1,000 stipend changes what you can do next.
- You understand that leaving can trigger a 3-year or 10-year reentry bar if you accrued unlawful presence.
- You accept that you’re giving up legal process rights in exchange for a controlled exit.
This route is still serious. It is not a “reset.” It is a decision that can block your return for years.
Choose Option B (risk enforcement and removal) only if you are actively pursuing a legal path and you’re ready for the risks
You might stay because you believe you qualify for relief or a status option, or because leaving would permanently damage your family situation. If that’s you, you need a plan that matches today’s enforcement reality:
- Prepare for the possibility of arrest or detention.
- Organize your documents and contacts.
- Know what a daily fine could mean for you financially.
If you’re weighing any form of court-based voluntary departure or other legal strategies, talk to an experienced immigration lawyer who can look at your full timeline, entries, and prior filings.
A practical first step you can take today
Write down two facts on paper:
- The date you last entered the U.S.
- How long you have been without lawful status.
Those dates decide whether departure triggers a 3-year or 10-year bar, and that single issue often decides whether self-deportation is a bridge to a future plan or a dead end.
Note two dates: last U.S. entry and length of unlawful status. Document them today; they determine bars and whether self-deportation is a viable step or a potential dead end.
For more immigration guides written for real-life decisions, you can also visit VisaVerge.com.
The government is pushing self-deportation via the CBP Home app to save costs and meet removal goals. While the program offers $1,000 stipends and free flights, it often results in long-term reentry bars. In contrast, involuntary deportation is significantly more expensive and involves arrest and detention. Individuals must determine if the immediate incentives outweigh the risk of being barred from the U.S. for up to a decade.
