THE FOLLOW UP
STATEMENT

DHS says new $2,600 stipend cuts self-deportation cost to $5,100, claims ~$13,000 savings vs. enforced deportation

True

Evidence from credible sources supports the statement as accurate. Learn more in Methodology.

Interesting: 0/0 • Support: 0/0Log in to vote
funding

DHS (or related budgeting) shows per-person self-deportation costs of $5,100 when including the $2,600 stipend, and compares that to an $18,245 enforced deportation cost to calculate ~ $13,000 savings.

Source summary
The Department of Homeland Security announced on Jan. 21, 2026 that it will offer a $2,600 stipend plus a free flight to people who sign up to self-deport using the CBP Home app. DHS said the offer supplements the Home for the Holidays campaign, qualifies recipients for forgiveness of civil fines, and is intended to reduce enforcement costs compared to an estimated $18,245 per enforced deportation. The agency cited program figures including 2.2 million voluntary self-deportations since January 2025, nearly 100,000 CBP Home app users, and 675,000 deportations during President Trump’s first year in office.
View original article →
Latest fact check

DHS’s January 21, 2026 press release contains the quoted language and the specific numbers: it states an enforced-deportation cost of $18,245 and that a $2,600 stipend plus flight brings a CBP Home self-deportation to $5,100, saving “over $13,000.” The claim that “DHS says” this is therefore True — DHS did publish that calculation. However, DHS’s own prior releases have used a different ‘‘arrest, detain and remove’’ figure ($17,121 in May 2025), and the Department does not publish a detailed public breakdown in that press release showing how the $5,100 per‑person figure was derived (flight + stipend + admin costs). The press release is the source of the quoted numbers, but independent verification of the $18,245 benchmark or the $5,100 cost breakdown is not provided in that release.

Sources

Timeline

  1. Update · Jan 22, 2026, 02:19 AMTrue
    DHS’s January 21, 2026 press release contains the quoted language and the specific numbers: it states an enforced-deportation cost of $18,245 and that a $2,600 stipend plus flight brings a CBP Home self-deportation to $5,100, saving “over $13,000.” The claim that “DHS says” this is therefore True — DHS did publish that calculation. However, DHS’s own prior releases have used a different ‘‘arrest, detain and remove’’ figure ($17,121 in May 2025), and the Department does not publish a detailed public breakdown in that press release showing how the $5,100 per‑person figure was derived (flight + stipend + admin costs). The press release is the source of the quoted numbers, but independent verification of the $18,245 benchmark or the $5,100 cost breakdown is not provided in that release.
  2. Original article · Jan 21, 2026
    View article
Back to Countdowns

Comments

Only logged-in users can comment.
Loading…