Amid his fierce immigration crackdown, US President Donald Trump has now decided to take a different approach to rid the nation of illegal immigrants. The US President has offered to dole out financial incentives, ranging from stipends to plane tickets, to encourage undocumented people in the country to self-deport.
Speaking to Fox Noticias, Trump said that this plan aims to prioritise the deportation of individuals with serious criminal records. He also said that this move will provide a pathway for "good" individuals to potentially return to the US legally.
Elaborating on his plan in the interview, Donald Trump said, "We're going to give them a stipend. We're going to give them some money and a plane ticket, and then we're going to work with them — if they're good — if we want them back in, we're going to work with them to get them back in as quickly as we can." The US President did not specify details of the program, its implementation timeline and criteria for eligibility.

Trump tones down threat

Shifting from his previous hardline stance, Trump said the current focus is on deporting "murderers" and that the incentives would encourage those without a legal status in the country to leave on their own with assistance. "We're doing a self-deportation and we're going to make it comfortable for people," he said. "And we're going to work with those people to come back into our country legally."
The US administration had earlier warned immigrants to "self-deport" before they are "found" by authorities. "The safest option for illegal aliens is to self-deport," a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson warned on April 9, Reuters reported. Those who self-deport may later return to the US legally, while those forcibly deported will be permanently barred from reentry, the administration had said.
Illegal aliens in the US have been asked to use the CBP Home app to self-deport. "If they don't, they will face the consequences. This includes a fine of $998 per day for every day that the illegal alien overstayed their final deportation order," the spokesperson warned, hinting at a possible jail time as well.