MarketPR
The Department of Homeland Security's voluntary departure program, Project Homecoming, moved approximately 132,000 unauthorized immigrants out of the United States through July 16, with 70,000 more enrolled and on track to leave.
The nearly $600 million initiative is on pace to clear 200,000 total departures. Its current government contract runs out of funds by end of August, and DHS is already soliciting bids for a replacement.
By the numbers: stipend, per-case cost, and projected savings The program offers free travel and a cash payment to unauthorized immigrants who agree to leave voluntarily.
That stipend started at $1,000 and has since risen to $2,600. It was briefly $3,000 last Christmas. Each self-deportation costs the government approximately $2,500 on top of the stipend, per DHS data.
Keep reading