BALTIMORE — Take $1,000 and leave the United States, or stay and face possible deportation—that's the choice undocumented migrants now face following a new offer from the Trump administration.
Some people in the community call it offensive, while a local Republican official told WMAR 2 News it's a lawful tool.
"People are starting to feel like they don't know what to believe and what's real and what's not," Juan Nunez said.
Nunez, a member of the Highlandtown Business Association, said the initial fear in the area's Hispanic communities has ebbed off.
But the Trump administration's new offer has him raising his eyebrows.
The Department of Homeland Security announced the agency will give undocumented migrants $1,000 to "self-deport" through the Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, Home App.
"When you're bribing folks with $1,000—I mean, nowadays $1,000 people can make that in less than a month—what could entice folks to migrate with that offer? So I think it's insulting and offensive to humanity," Nunez said.
The DHS said it will also pay for travel back to migrants' home countries through the CBP Home App.
The administration said since announcing this initiative, someone has already used the program to fly home from Chicago to Honduras, and additional flights have already been booked for others.
Juan, however, is skeptical this will be a success.
"It's not fair for taxpayers. I don't think it's good strategy to get folks on the table. I think when you talk about immigration, you have to have a real proposal."
According to the DHS, even with the cost of the stipend, it is projected that the use of the CBP Home App will decrease the costs of a deportation by around 70 percent.
The agency said the cost to arrest, detain, and remove an undocumented migrant is over 17 thousand dollars.
"$1,000 it seems like a gotcha just to be able to 'yes, I'll take it and go,' and then it's not better—you're in a no better scenario than you were before, so," community member Royal Thomas said.
Republican Delegate Ryan Narwocki equated the incentive to a gracious offer, sending me a statement saying,
"Under President Trump, we have seen policies that have reduced illegal immigration and restored order at the border. Offering voluntary departure incentives is a lawful tool aimed at encouraging those here illegally to leave on their own, rather than overwhelming our immigration system. Compare that to the chaos we saw under the Biden administration — with record border crossings and little accountability. Americans deserve leaders who take border security seriously and put the interests of our citizens first."
But others aren't so certain.
"I think the people that come here, they are given this false hope of what life could be like, and now they're trying to run them out of a place that they're trying to build in," Lourd Monz told WMAR 2 News.
Through the program and CBP Home app, undocumented migrants will receive the $1,000 upon arrival in their home country.
