The voluntary departure program for undocumented immigrants promoted by the Donald Trump administration is close to reaching 200,000 registered individuals or those who have already left the United States, according to internal data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) obtained by Axios.
As of July 16, the so-called Homecoming Project had recorded 132,000 successful departures, while another 70,000 people had registered and were in the process of leaving the country, according to the report published this Tuesday.
The initiative is primarily managed through CBP Home, a mobile application through which immigrants can notify their intention to leave voluntarily, manage travel documents, coordinate flights, and request the financial incentive offered by the government once their departure is confirmed.
The amount of the incentive has varied since the launch of the program.
Initially, the administration offered $1,000, in addition to the plane ticket. During the Christmas campaign of 2025, the benefit increased to $3,000, while it is currently at $2,600, an amount that is provided once the immigrant has left U.S. territory.
According to the DHS, the program represents significant savings for the government.
Authorities estimate that a voluntary departure costs around $2,500, plus the economic incentive, compared to the $18,245 it takes to detain, maintain custody of, and deport an immigrant who does not cooperate with authorities.
A slow start and pressure from the White House
Although today the program shows high figures, its implementation was much slower than expected.
During its first six months, it barely managed to attract around 24,000 participants, while officials were working to address issues related to document issuance and flight organization.
That situation led the White House to intervene directly to expedite the process.
"The pressure consisted of daily calls from the White House and weekly high-level calls with Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller directly," revealed a source quoted by Axios.
"They wanted us to pass thousands daily, and we only passed a few dozen," he added.
The role of detention centers
The growth of the program began in August 2025, when a member of the team from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) promoted its implementation within the detention centers of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Currently, the program has case managers in 40 detention centers, and approximately half of the more than 200,000 cases involve individuals who were in immigration custody.
According to data from ICE, those who choose to leave the country voluntarily from a detention center are held for an average of 17 days, compared to the 50 days typically associated with a standard deportation process.
The reduction in length of stay has allowed for the freeing up of space in facilities that were facing an increasing lack of capacity.
«During the initial phase of this process, the administration faced a shortage of beds. Mass deportations cannot be carried out without available beds. These two issues are intrinsically linked,» explained Todd Bensman, former advisor to border czar Tom Homan, to Axios.
The DHS speaks of an "overwhelming success."
The Department of Homeland Security believes that the Homecoming Project has more than fulfilled its objectives.
"Thanks to the overwhelming success of the Homecoming Project under Trump's presidency, the CBP Home application has achieved much greater efficiency and participation than initially anticipated," assured a spokesperson for the agency.
The agency estimates that the program could generate savings of $2.5 billion in costs associated with deportations.
Persistent criticism and doubts about his future
Despite the results highlighted by the government, the program also faces criticism.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), which is part of the United Nations and collaborated on the project until March 2026, has ceased its participation in the initiative.
A source linked to the program lamented that "suddenly, the entire program was reduced to a spreadsheet for buying plane tickets."
Additionally, some Cuban immigrants who used CBP Home have reported that after leaving the United States, they did not receive the promised financial incentive.
In addition, there is uncertainty about the continuity of the program. The contract with Salus Worldwide, the company responsible for its operational management, will exhaust its funds by the end of August 2026, which is why the DHS is already seeking a new provider, although it has not yet clarified whether the change will affect the operation of the Homecoming Project.
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