‘Christmas Bonus’: Trump administration triples money given to illegal immigrants who leave the US voluntarily by 2026

Trump government triples money given to illegal immigrants who leave the US voluntarily by the end of 2025. Reuters and reproduction/social media The Trump government tripled to US$3,000 (R$16,700) the money it will give to illegal immigrants who leave the United States voluntarily by the end of the year. The measure was announced by the Department of Homeland Security as a benefit — a “generosity”, as Secretary Kristi Noem described it. ✅ Follow g1’s international news channel on WhatsApp “During the Christmas season, the American taxpayer is generously TRIPLED the incentive to voluntarily leave the country for those who are here illegally — offering a $3,000 exit bonus, but only until the end of the year,” said Secretary Kristi Noem. Noem also once again threatened illegal immigrants by saying that they “must 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.” A social media post from the Department of Homeland Security even calls the incentive a “limited time offer” and a “go home for the holidays bonus,” implying that the illegal immigrant’s home would be their country of origin. In the same vein as Noem’s speech, the publication also contains a warning: “We are crossing names off the naughty list. Don’t be next.” See the videos that are trending on g1 According to the Trump administration’s directive, immigrants who wish to accept the incentive must do so through the CBP Home cell phone application, developed by US Customs and Border Protection and which offers migration services such as self-deportation. The Trump administration plans to further intensify its anti-immigration campaign in 2026, even in the face of President Donald Trump’s declining popularity. Trump’s border czar Tom Homan has promised that the numbers of illegal immigrant arrests and deportations “will explode” next year. Even so, deportations hit a record in 2025. (Read more below) Numbers will ‘explode’ in 2026, says Trump’s immigration czar United States President Donald Trump is preparing an intensification of immigration repression policies in 2026, supported by billions of dollars in new resources and the expansion of police raids in workplaces. The strategy advances even in the face of an increase in negative public reaction on the eve of next year’s mid-term elections. Since the beginning of his term, Trump has authorized the sending of federal immigration agents to large American cities, where operations have resulted in raids on residential neighborhoods and clashes with residents. US President Donald Trump signs executive orders at the White House on December 18, 2025 REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein Although some high-profile actions have taken place at companies throughout this year, authorities have largely avoided inspections of farms, factories and other economically strategic sectors that depend on immigrant labor without legal status. This scenario must change. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol will receive about $170 billion in additional resources through September 2029 — a significant jump from their current annual budgets, estimated at approximately $19 billion. The increase was approved in July by the Republican-controlled Congress as part of a broad spending package. According to government officials, the funds will allow it to hire thousands of new officers, open additional detention centers, increase the use of local jails for arrests and partner with private companies to locate immigrants without legal status. The increase in deportations occurs despite growing signs of political wear and tear. In Miami, one of the cities most impacted by immigration policy due to its large immigrant population, voters chose, last week, the first Democratic mayor in almost 30 years — a decision that the elected mayor attributed, in part, to her rejection of the federal government’s actions. Results from local elections and opinion polls also indicate greater concern among voters with the tactics adopted. “Increasingly, people stop seeing this just as an immigration issue and start seeing it as a violation of rights, due process and the unconstitutional militarization of neighborhoods,” said Mike Madrid, a moderate Republican strategist. “This undoubtedly represents a problem for the president and the party.” Trump’s approval of immigration policy fell from 50% in March — before the start of the most aggressive actions in large cities — to 41% in mid-December, precisely on the issue that became the main focus of his government. Some of the public unrest focuses on the use of masked federal agents and tactics considered excessive, such as the use of tear gas in residential areas and the detention of American citizens. ‘The numbers are going to explode’ In addition to strengthening inspections, Trump revoked the temporary legal status of hundreds of thousands of Haitian, Venezuelan and Afghan immigrants, expanding the universe of people subject to deportation. The president has promised to remove up to 1 million immigrants per year — a goal that is unlikely to be achieved by 2025. Since taking office in January, around 622,000 people have been deported. The White House’s so-called “border czar,” Tom Homan, told Reuters that the administration had fulfilled its promise to carry out a historic deportation operation while drastically reducing illegal immigration at the border with Mexico. “You’re going to see these numbers explode next year,” Homan said, adding that plans “absolutely” include more workplace enforcement. According to him, the number of arrests should increase significantly with the hiring of new agents and the expansion of detention capacity. Trump returned to the White House promising record levels of deportations, claiming the measure was necessary after years of high illegal immigration under the administration of his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden. Since then, the presence of federal agents in American cities has sparked protests and lawsuits over racial discrimination and excessive use of force. About 41% of the approximately 54,000 people detained by ICE as of the end of November had no criminal history other than alleged immigration violations. Before Trump’s inauguration, this rate was just 6%. The government also began targeting legal immigrants, with arrests during green card interviews, cancellations of naturalization ceremonies and revocation of thousands of student visas. ICE patrol car searches for illegal immigrants on the streets of the United States (illustrative image) Octavio Jones/Reuters

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