Migrants who signed up for a US 'self-deportation' programme say they were promised $1,000 to leave the country voluntarily, but many never received the money, leaving them stranded in their home countries without the funds they were expecting.
Honduran immigrant Pineda, who had lived in the US for 14 years working as a delivery driver, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in June. After a month in detention, he was offered voluntary departure with a free flight to Honduras and a $1,000 payment, along with a promise of legal return to the US at a later date. Desperate, he signed the form on 25 July, hoping to start a small business back home. However, when he arrived in Honduras, the wire transfer had been returned to the financial services company because it went uncollected for over 30 days while he was still in detention.
Pineda said he spoke with ten friends from Honduras, Colombia, El Salvador and Peru who all signed similar paperwork and ended up with nothing. 'They deceived me,' he said. 'It's a lie.' Of almost a dozen immigration lawyers and migrants interviewed, initially no one knew anyone who had actually received the $1,000. Two people later received it as a result of this reporting.
The Department of Homeland Security established 'Project Homecoming' in May, guided by a Trump presidential proclamation, offering $1,000 and a free flight to 'self-deport'. The State Department repurposed $250 million intended for refugee resettlement to fund the scheme. It is unclear how much has been spent and to whom.
Robin Meneses, a 54-year-old migrant from Nicaragua, was deported after signing a voluntary departure form that included the $1,000 exit bonus, but the money never arrived. He felt duped: 'They tricked me into leaving.' Although ICE officers offered him the $1,000, he was ultimately not registered for the payment because he had a final order for removal from 2022. However, the DHS website for Project Homecoming states that a final removal order does 'not preclude eligibility'.
Jennifer Whitlock, senior policy counsel with the National Immigration Law Center, said: 'That part's the most frustrating. Some people think this is a way to get right with the law, and nothing could be further.'
