Homeland Security offers $3,000 Christmas bonus to illegal immigrants who self-deport

TLDR:

• DHS is offering illegal immigrants $3,000 to self-deport during the holidays — triple the usual amount — plus a free flight home
• The agency launched a Christmas-themed marketing campaign with decorated trees, reindeer-pulled deportation planes, and warnings about being on the “naughty list”
• Secretary Kristi Noem calls it the “best gift” immigrants can give their families, warning those who don’t leave voluntarily will be arrested
• ICE is pushing to boost year-end deportation numbers, currently on track for record removals but short of Trump’s 1 million goal

Homeland Security is dangling a supersized holiday carrot: $3,000 for illegal immigrants who go home for Christmas and stay there.

The “limited time offer” triples the usual self-deportation bonus and comes with a free government flight. Secretary Kristi Noem called the holiday stipend a better option than forced removal.

“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,” Ms. Noem said.

DHS marketed the deal with a slick Christmas advertisement showing a decorated tree in a cozy home with snow outside. The fine print warns: “We’re checking names off our naughty list. Don’t be the next name we find.”

ICE posted social media images of deportation flights pulled by reindeer, writing: “Avoid ICE Air and go Ho Ho Home this Christmas.”

The year-end push aims to bolster 2025 deportation numbers. ICE will finish with fewer than 500,000 formal removals — a record, but short of President Trump’s million-deportation goal.

Read more:

• DHS tells illegal immigrants to go home for the holidays — and stay there