By The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday rolled out a high-profile social media campaign promoting a $2,600 cash “exit bonus” and free airfare for undocumented immigrants who voluntarily leave the United States using the CBP Home mobile app.
The campaign debuted with a post from the official DHS Twitter account that quickly gained traction online, drawing more than 845,000 views, nearly 21,000 likes, and thousands of reposts within hours. The post opens with the question “HOMESICK?” and directs users to a promotional video encouraging participation in the voluntary self-deportation program.
HOMESICK?
DHS is offering a HUGE incentive for illegal aliens to leave now — receive $2,600 and a FREE flight home if you remigrate using the CBP Home app.
Leave now. Avoid the discomfort of not knowing WHEN we’re going to arrest you.https://t.co/YGo3uuNvrE pic.twitter.com/i1Y1ym5l1h
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) January 29, 2026
“DHS is offering a HUGE incentive for illegal aliens to leave now — receive $2,600 and a FREE flight home if you remigrate using the CBP Home app. Leave now. Avoid the discomfort of not knowing WHEN we’re going to arrest you,” the post reads, linking directly to the program’s webpage.
The roughly 20-second video adopts an emotional, cinematic tone, featuring sweeping visuals of well-known global landmarks, including Iran’s Azadi Tower and Egypt’s pyramids. The footage is set to “Home Sweet Home,” the 1980s rock ballad by Mötley Crüe, and concludes with instructions to download the CBP Home app and register for departure assistance.
The incentive, which took effect January 21, represents a significant increase from the prior $1,000 stipend offered under the voluntary departure program. DHS officials said the change coincides with the first anniversary of the current administration, during which the department reports more than 2.2 million voluntary self-departures overall and tens of thousands processed specifically through the CBP Home app.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a January 21 announcement that the higher payout is still far cheaper than traditional removals. She described the $2,600 “exit bonus,” combined with complimentary travel and forgiveness of certain failure-to-depart fines, as a cost-saving alternative to enforced deportations, which DHS estimates average more than $18,000 per person.
The program operates under “Project Homecoming,” a voluntary departure initiative launched in 2025 aimed at non-criminal undocumented immigrants eligible to leave without formal removal proceedings. Participants who enroll through the CBP Home app receive logistical assistance arranging travel, with the cash stipend issued after officials confirm arrival in a home country or another destination where the individual has lawful status.
Reaction on Twitter was immediate and sharply divided. Supporters applauded the initiative as humane and fiscally prudent, describing it as “a great offer of kindness” and encouraging undocumented immigrants to “leave now… apply to return legally.” Critics, however, questioned the use of taxpayer funds, arguing that the policy amounts to “paying people to quit committing a crime” and calling for tougher enforcement instead.
DHS officials emphasized that the $2,600 offer is temporary, cautioning that it “may not last long.” The department continues to warn that individuals who decline to self-deport remain subject to arrest and removal without access to the financial incentive or travel assistance.
Although the increase in cash payouts may seem like a lot, it pales in comparison to the desperation Sweden recently showed as it openly debated paying refugees the equivalent of roughly $37,000 each to voluntarily leave the country. The proposal marks a dramatic reversal for a nation long held up as Europe’s humanitarian conscience, reflecting how sharply migration politics have shifted even in states once defined by openness and expansive asylum policies.
Sweden’s debate reflects a deeper fatigue with large-scale immigration itself. Years of strained social services, rising crime concerns, political fragmentation, and eroding public trust have pushed the country toward an unthinkable conclusion: that integration has failed often enough to justify paying people to leave. It’s time to cut losses.
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