President Donald Trump is attempting to sell migrants on a one-way ticket home.
The Department of Homeland Security announced a “historic opportunity for illegal aliens” on Monday, launching a program that gives free flights and financial assistance to those seeking to leave the United States. Today, Trump threw some extra weight behind the initiative by signing an executive order.
“Today I signed an executive order to launch the first-ever self-deportation program for illegal aliens,” Trump said in a video shared by The White House.
“We are making it as easy as possible for illegal aliens to leave America,” the president continued. “Any illegal alien can simply show up at an airport and receive a free flight out of our country.”
The so-called “Project Homecoming” initiative will grant migrants federal government funding to leave the U.S. with a stipend of $1,000 plus a free airline ticket. The DHS has claimed that the measure will decrease the cost of deportation by “around 70 percent.”
“Illegals can book a free flight to any foreign country,” Trump shared. “As long as it‘s not here, you can go anywhere you want.”
The administration has also launched a free app, CBP Home, which will pay out the travel expenses stipend once someone has left the United States. Cooperation with the government through the use of the app “may help” a migrant looking to re-enter the U.S. legally later on, the DHS has said.
“This deportation bonus will save American taxpayers billions and billions of dollars,” Trump continued, before going back to the ‘Blame Biden’ playbook.
“What Biden did to this country can never be explained, will never ever be accepted,” Trump stated. “Eventually, when the illegals are gone, it will save us trillions of dollars.”
The DHS has claimed that tickets have already been booked by migrants wanting to leave the U.S., with one person departing from Chicago to Honduras.
The move is part of the wider push that the Trump administration has made to remove migrants living in the U.S. illegally. Trump entered office claiming he would deport “millions,” though so far his administration trails behind Biden’s in its removal of illegal migrants.
Trump deported 37,000 people in his first month in office, which is far fewer than the Biden average of 57,000. The DHS has previously claimed that the lower figure is because fewer people are attempting to enter the country, thanks to Trump’s tough stance.
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