By REBECCA SANTANA

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration says it is going to pay immigrants in the United States illegally who’ve returned to their home country voluntarily $1,000 as it pushes forward with its mass deportation agenda.

Related Articles

In battle against transgender rights, Trump targets HUD’s housing policies

Trump directs Bureau of Prisons to rebuild and reopen Alcatraz. Can he do that?

Federal Reserve likely to defy Trump, keep rates unchanged this week

Trump’s trade demands go beyond tariffs to target perceived unfair practices

Trump threatens a 100% tariff on foreign-made films, saying the movie industry in the US is dying

The Department of Homeland Security said in a news release Monday that it’s also paying for travel assistance and that those people who use an app called CBP Home to tell the government that they plan to return home will be “deprioritized” for detention and removal by immigration enforcement.

“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest. DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App,” Secretary Kristi Noem said.

President Donald Trump has made immigration enforcement and the mass deportation of immigrants in the U.S. illegally a centerpiece of his campaign, but that is a costly, resource-intensive endeavor.

While the Republican administration is pushing Congress for a massive increase in resources for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement department responsible for removing people from the country, it’s also pushing people in the country illegally to “self-deport.”