The self-deportation program known as Project Homecoming is on pace to account for more than 200,000 departures as part of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement push. Through July 16, the program has helped about 132,000 people exit the United States, with roughly 70,000 more signed up and on track to leave.
Projected total for the self-deportation program Project Homecoming.
About half of the self-deportations have involved immigrants held in detention. The program costs nearly $600 million, with stipends paid to departing immigrants initially set at $1,000, later increased to $2,600, and briefly reaching $3,000 last Christmas.
A former official described the effort as "part of the plan from the very beginning," with White House pressure to move faster. The push involved "daily calls from the White House and weekly principal level calls," with officials wanting "thousands pushed through on a daily basis." In August, a DOGE staffer brought Project Homecoming into ICE facilities, and case managers are now in 40 ICE detention sites.
You can't do mass deportation unless you have beds. They're inextricably tied.
Detainees opting to leave now spend an average of 17 days in detention compared to the typical 50 days, freeing up bed space. Each self-deportation costs the government about $2,500 plus the stipend, while removing an immigrant who does not volunteer costs about $18,245. DHS projects $2.5 billion in savings on removal costs thanks to the program.
The Department of Homeland Security has not released any official statistics to confirm the program's progress. The government contract for Project Homecoming will run out of funds by the end of August, and DHS is seeking bids for a new contract. Initially, the program attracted about 24,000 immigrants in its first six months.
The administration aims to remove 1 million unauthorized immigrants per year. A DHS spokesperson stated that the CBP Home app "has achieved far greater efficiency and participation" and that the administration "is proud of the humane and dignified support" provided. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) promoted its work with the program last March but is no longer involved. Critics say the effort would have been better run by the IOM. A former official noted that "the whole program got reduced to a spreadsheet to buy plane tickets."