Online Campaign Promotes Financial Incentives and Flight Offers for Voluntary Self-Deportation
A new digital message circulating on social media platforms is advertising a program labeled “CBP Home,” which claims to offer non-citizens a free flight to their home country and a $2,600 “exit bonus” if they choose to self-deport. The promotional text frames the initiative as a “benevolent offer” designed to help individuals avoid the legal complications of formal removal proceedings while securing financial assistance to start a new life abroad. The message directs interested parties to an external link to process the request.
The concept of voluntary return is a legitimate component of United States immigration enforcement. Officially known as Voluntary Departure, this legal mechanism allows certain non-citizens to leave the U.S. without a formal deportation order on their record. Avoiding a formal removal order is significant, as it prevents the imposition of severe bars on future re-entry, which can last up to ten years or more. Historically, however, standard voluntary departure often requires the individual to pay for their own travel expenses, and the U.S. government does not typically offer direct cash payments as an exit bonus. Reintegration support, when available, is usually administered through international non-governmental organizations rather than direct federal payouts.
Immigration attorneys and digital security experts have raised significant objections regarding the authenticity and safety of this specific offer. Analysts point out that official communications from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) rarely use colloquial or emotive phrasing such as “benevolent offer from Americans” or promises of a “GREAT life.” There are concerns that this campaign may be a data-harvesting scheme designed to collect sensitive personal information from vulnerable populations under false pretenses. Furthermore, critics argue that even if such a policy were under consideration, the logistics of distributing cash bonuses to departing individuals would require substantial congressional oversight and public regulatory appropriation, evidence of which is currently absent from standard government registers. Verification of the URL and consultation with accredited legal counsel is recommended before engaging with such offers.
