In the latest effort to accomplish its deportation agenda, this week the Trump administration announced a new offer for immigrants lacking legal status: self-deport, and the U.S. will pay for your flight and give you $1,000.
The Department of Homeland Security says that would cut down on the costs of arrest, detention and removal by 70%, since that average cost per person is $17,121.
President Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, says it's ultimately about encouraging immigrants come to the U.S. legally.
"I think people are finally getting the message. If you leave on your own, you can take advantage of legal programs, come back. But we have to go through the process or formally deporting you," said Homan. “Keep yourself open to the opportunity of legal entry. Do things the right way."
But how effective will that be?
Experts note that if you’re not supposed to be in the U.S., the odds that you’ll voluntarily tell the U.S. government what you’re doing and where you are aren’t high.
The Trump administration did note one person self-deported from Chicago to Honduras, and there are other tickets booked. Those who say they will self-deport "will also be deprioritized for detention and removal ahead of their departure as long as they demonstrate they are making meaningful strides in completing that departure."
The process to self-deport seems simple. All you have to do is fill out a form on the CBP Home app.
It's yet to be seen in getting the $1,000 will be as simple, since that's given "after their return to their home country has been confirmed through the app," the DHS website reads.
However, consider that it’s estimated there are 11 million immigrants without legal status in the U.S, this could be smaller than even a drop in the bucket.
That being said, as Homan mentioned, it’s also about messaging.
Rosanna Berardi, a managing partner at Berardi Immigration Law, says what’s different with this administration is the volume of changes being made.
Amid the confusion some communities face, taking this offer might seem like the easy way out.
“I think they're trying to catch a group of individuals that are really scared and just say, ‘OK, I'll just go back. I don't want to, I don't want to live in fear and worry about the government picking me up at work or at home,’" she said. "But I think it's really dangerous for individuals to do that, because sometimes the law can afford people protections. They could be shortchanging themselves or they could be alerting the government to other things that they may not know the consequences of.”
This comes after an April mandate for anyone over 14 years old who is in the country for longer than 30 days to apply for registration and fingerprinting, known as an Alien Registration Requirement. Evidence of that registration must be carried with that person at all times. That includes immigrants without legal status, who are not likely to comply with the registration.
Berardi notes that while carrying some sort of identification isn't out of the norm, and enforcement probably won't solely be tied to whether or not someone has this registration, it could be tacked on to other charges. Violation includes a fine up to $5,000 and up to six months in jail, or both.
“If I had committed a crime or was arrested for a DWI or something of that nature and I was being arrested and criminally prosecuted, they would probably then tack that on as an ancillary charge,” she said.
Homan mentioned that this should encourage people to come into the U.S. “the right way," however this is also a difficult process.
Anyone in the country illegally for more than 180 days faces a three-year ban. More than a year is a 10-year ban.
Even after that, getting permission to live in the U.S. takes a lot of time and money, assuming you even qualify.
Berardi encourages people to know their rights while they’re here.
"We were promised mass deportations. Great, in theory. Never going to happen, in reality," Berardi said. "We've heard some rumblings from the Trump administration saying, 'well, we can't possibly give all these individuals their hearings.' Well, it's a huge constitutional issue if you don't.
"Just because you get a knock on the door, does it mean the government can put you on a plane the next day? Anybody that's in the United States, with or without status, is entitled to due process under the Fifth Amendment of the law.”
Berardi noted that for decades, immigration changes have been made in policy or executive order, but not anything legislative. That's something she would like to see change.
“Congress really needs to get their act together and do something with the U.S. immigration law. They haven't since 1996. And think of all the opportunities. Doesn't matter the administration. The politicians, they've done nothing. And we have a broken law. We have a broken asylum system. It is terrible," said Berardi, specifically noting a lack of temporary work authorization for those in agriculture. "It is my hope before I am done with this career that somebody somewhere changes the law so that we can do this in a more meaningful way.”