The first flight carrying migrants who chose to self-deport from the United States as part of a new Department of Homeland Security initiative offering free flights and $1,000 stipends has landed in Honduras.
A group of 38 Hondurans arrived at Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport on Monday afternoon after applying through a mobile app provided by US Customs and Border Protection, Honduran Deputy Foreign Minister Antonio García said.
“There was a bit of everything. There were mothers with children. Each one was given $1,000, including the children,” García told reporters at the airport, saying that up to 19 children had arrived.
At least four of the children were born in the US and one was born in Mexico. They left the US with their Honduran relatives to avoid family separation, according to Honduran Migration Director Wilson Paz Reyes.
“In this case, the US makes the decision, along with their families, that they return to the country so that family disintegration does not occur,” he said.
One of those deported, Wilson Sáenz, said that after he requested to be removed, authorities flew him to a hotel in Houston, Texas, and from there, he was dropped off at an airport and provided food before his flight home.
Another, Kevin Posadas, said that after applying for self-deportation, officials messaged migrants telling them when to present themselves, and “depending on what state they’re in, they move them to a place that’s closer to send them to Honduras.”
The flight carried 64 people, according to a Homeland Security official. It is expected to continue to Colombia to drop off the remaining migrants who opted for self-deportation, García said.
“Today, DHS conducted its first Project Homecoming charter flight of 64 individuals who voluntarily chose to self-deport to their home counties of Honduras and Colombia,” Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem said. “If you are here illegally, use the CBP Home App to take control of your departure and receive financial support to return home.”
The US Department of Homeland Security announced on May 5 that it would offer undocumented immigrants financial and travel assistance to facilitate their return home through the CBP Home app, through which people can notify the government that they intend to leave the US voluntarily.
Any undocumented immigrant who uses the app to self-deport will receive a stipend of $1,000, to be paid after they confirm their return home through the app, according to the DHS.
The DHS says the initiative will cut deportation costs, which it says currently average more than $17,000 per case.
Those who sign up for self-deportation through CBP Home will also be deprioritized for detention and removal, “as long as they demonstrate they are making meaningful strides in completing that departure,” according to the DHS, which portrays the procedure as a “dignified” and safe way to leave.
“If you are here illegally, use the CBP Home App to take control of your departure and receive financial support to return home. If you don’t, you will be subjected to fines, arrest, deportation and will never be allowed to return,” Noem said.
The app was previously called CBP One and was used by Customs and Border Protection to schedule arrivals for people seeking asylum during the Biden administration.
The self-deportation initiative is part of a $200 million DHS ad campaign pressuring undocumented migrants to leave the US and “stay out.”
CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, Ivonne Valdés, Ana Melgar contributed to this report.
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