President Donald Trump’s plan to pay illegal aliens to self-deport saves American taxpayers money and minimizes political blowback. Many conservatives prefer a harsher approach, but removing illegal aliens is monetarily and politically expensive, and Trump’s strategy wisely prioritizes outcome over process.

Former President Joe Biden’s Homeland Security Department (DHS) used the app CBP One to help migrants enter the country. Trump’s DHS, under Secretary Kristi Noem, shut down the app, then cleverly repurposed it as “CBP Home” to help illegal aliens leave the country.

Immigrants who use the app to declare their intention to self-deport will be “deprioritized” for detention, and DHS will buy them a plane ticket home. Additionally, they will receive $1,000 once the government confirms through the app that they have returned to their home countries. (RELATED: Bribing Illegals to Self-Deport Might Be the Only Real Solution Available to Trump)

It Saves Money and Political Capital to Just Pay Them to Leave

It cost the U.S. government almost $20,000 to deport a single illegal alien from 2019–2024. Granted, Trump’s deportation process is likely much more cost-efficient than former President Joe Biden’s. But even if it costs the current Trump administration half that — $10,000 per deported — that’s still at least five times more than a cheap flight home and $1,000 cash per person. (RELATED: Trump’s Cash-for-Departure Plan: A New Approach to Immigration?)

Institutional propaganda has conditioned Americans to believe the U.S. is a nation of immigrants. Although Americans instinctively want illegal aliens gone, they become squeamish when the government starts actually getting rid of them.

According to Pew Research, less than a third of Americans support deporting all illegal aliens. Among the 51 percent who want to deport some, 97 percent support removing those who committed violent crimes, with only 52 percent wanting to remove those who committed non-violent crimes. This has forced Trump and the Right in general to focus on getting rid of violent illegal aliens, with a special emphasis on Salvadoran and Venezuelan gang members.

Beginning in the late 1950s, Americans faced a barrage of propaganda to redefine themselves as a nation of immigrants. This, in turn, prepared them to accept mass immigration as an American value trait and the country as a mere economic zone for hard workers. Hence, why 60 percent of Americans oppose deporting illegal aliens with jobs.

Others oppose deporting illegal aliens because they personally profit from them. They own businesses that employ illegal aliens or their relatives. They own stocks in companies that would take a hit if all illegal aliens were sent back. They own businesses in ethnic enclaves that would fail if over half their customer base got deported.

Americans who base their financial well-being on illegal aliens deserve to suffer. But it’s harder for them to build political opposition to removal if the illegal aliens pack their own bags.

Besides dodging the political risk of angering out-of-touch voters sympathetic to the “plight” of immigrants, paying illegal aliens to leave skirts judicial obstruction. The court system remains especially entrenched in the “nation of immigrants” myth. Challenging injunctions from Democrat-appointed, pro-immigration ideologues and Republican-appointed, pro-business lackeys is more trouble than it’s worth for an administration serious about evicting millions of entitled trespassers and squatters.

This Plan Only Works If…

This self-deportation deal is still in its infancy. The first takers departed on a charter flight from Houston on May 19. A key aspect of the program’s success will depend on publicity, aggressive ICE action, and continued border enforcement.

The 18+ million illegal aliens will need to know about the plan to take advantage of it. Their leftist immigration attorneys will be reticent to tell them about it, considering they don’t want to lose customers. Many, in fact, are already urging them not to take the deal. Thankfully, the administration has begun a multi-million-dollar ad campaign toward illegal aliens, advising them to leave voluntarily to preserve their ability to return legally. This appeals especially to illegal alien parents because it means they may legally re-immigrate in the future, giving their children a future as Americans, whereas being deported permanently blocks them from legally immigrating in the future.

Secondly, ICE must act more aggressively and openly. Illegal aliens cannot view lying low and hoping for a Democrat administration after 2028 as an option. The choice must be to remain prisoners in their apartments for fear of roaming ICE agents or to take the money and run. Illegal aliens and the American leftists who aid them will not take this deal if it isn’t the only good option.

Lastly, some conservative critics argue this deal doesn’t prevent foreigners from returning illegally to collect another $1,000. But the first part is also true of the deported. Any repatriation policy toward illegal aliens depends on voters not electing another Biden-like president to undo everything Trump accomplished. Regarding those who would abuse the system, $1,000 is simply not enough to even afford the travel expenses back to the border.

To rid the country of the hordes of blighted masses Biden let in, Trump will have to use a multi-pronged approach that includes both stick and carrot. The hard truth is that Americans lack the political will to round them all up — a costly process that would span multiple presidential administrations. Offering snack money and free rides home is a cheaper option than more agents, beds, and three meals a day.

Jacob Grandstaff is an investigative researcher for Restoration News.

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