Kristi Noem and the Department of Homeland Security simply dropped what is perhaps probably the most controversial vacation supply of the season as immigration enforcement, cash, and politics collide in a single very loud December announcement.

According to DHS, undocumented immigrants who voluntarily go away the United States by the tip of the yr utilizing the CBP Home app will receive a $3,000 cash stipend plus a free flight again to their residence nation. Yes, you learn that proper. Uncle Sam is slicing checks for self deportation and calling it a vacation reward.

The announcement got here straight from Washington on December 22, framed as an incentive pushed push to speed up departures earlier than the calendar flips. DHS says this system is already displaying outcomes, claiming that since January 2025 roughly 1.9 million folks have voluntarily left the nation, with tens of hundreds utilizing the CBP Home app particularly. The division is now tripling the motivation by means of the tip of the yr in what it calls a restricted time supply.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem didn’t mince phrases.

“Since January 2025, 1.9 million illegal aliens have voluntarily self-deported and tens of thousands have used the CBP Home program. During the Christmas Season, the U.S. taxpayer is so generously TRIPLING the incentive to leave voluntarily for those in this country illegally offering a $3,000 exit bonus but just until the end of the year,” she mentioned.

“Illegal aliens should take advantage of this gift and self-deport because if they don’t, we will find them, we will arrest them, and they will never return.”

Beyond the money and airfare, DHS says individuals who use the app will even obtain forgiveness for any civil fines or penalties associated to overstaying or failing to depart beforehand. The pitch is being marketed as quick, free, and easy. Download the app, submit your info, and the federal government handles the remainder, together with journey preparations.

Critics are already lining as much as query the optics and the maths. Supporters argue it saves taxpayers cash in comparison with lengthy detention and enforcement processes. Opponents see it as coercive, threatening, or politically performative. Either manner, the messaging is crystal clear. Take the deal now or face arrest and everlasting exclusion later.

Whether this turns into a blueprint for future immigration coverage or a brief time period political stunt, one factor is for certain. This vacation season, the loudest reward below the tree is coming from DHS.

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