According to the New York Post, almost one million people unlawfully in the U.S. have self-deported so far while Trump has been president. This has led to higher wages for American workers as employers have to pay more as there are fewer bodies to do the work.
And that’s money that will stay in the U.S., as opposed to being sent back to Mexico by illegals supporting families there.
The Post reported:
While ICE arrests and deportations have grabbed headlines, President Trump is also running a separate but complementary “mass deportation” program — one that encourages aliens here unlawfully to go home voluntarily.
And if reports are correct, that plan is more successful than anyone could have imagined.
Based on government data, my organization, the Center for Immigration Studies, has conservatively estimated there are about 15.4 million illegal aliens in the United States, a 50% increase over the four tumultuous years of the Biden administration.
The Washington Post claims “a million foreign-born workers have exited the workforce since March.” The Post frames this as “a sign of the weakening labor supply.” Yet the paper also notes, “Average hourly wages accelerated, rising by 0.4 percent over the month, to $36.24 in May, as earnings continue to beat inflation in a boost to workers’ spending power.”
I spent about 12 months as a freelance reporter filming the border crisis during Biden’s term.
I witnessed about 200,000 people cross the border illegally in that time. Many of the illegal aliens were from Islamic-majority African nations such as Senegal and Guinea. Many from the Middle East and India also entered the country unlawfully.
From my time on the border near Lukeville, Arizona. The port of entry closed because so many illegal aliens were there. Mostly male illegal aliens from the African countries of Senegal and Guinea which are majority Islamic. Tensions were very high because people tried to cut in… pic.twitter.com/COoB6te6AE
— Jeff Rainforth (@liberty_clarion) January 19, 2024
I found many discarded passports and IDs on the border from illegals who didn’t want to be identified.
One passport I found belonged to a man from the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. I turned it over to Border Patrol, and they told me he was on the terrorist watchlist and that they probably caught him and let him go because Biden told them to release everyone.
In the San Diego sector, I filmed many Chinese illegals. Many of those attempted to evade arrest and escape into the interior.
I saw a man stop people from jumping over the border wall with a ladder by yelling and throwing rocks at them.
The Post report continues:
Trump rode a wave of concerns about the costs those migrants are imposing on schools, hospitals, housing, and essential government services in cities and towns across the United States to a second term.
Now that he’s back in the Oval Office, it’s up to him, “border czar” Tom Homan, and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to drive the unauthorized population down and restore credibility to our immigration system.
They’ve implemented a two-track plan to tackle this onerous task.
One of those tracks relies on arrests and deportations of aliens unlawfully here, which at the outset has focused mainly on criminals (the “worst first” strategy).
The other track is more subtle but also cheaper for taxpayers and arguably much more effective —encouraging illegal migrants here to self-deport.
It began with an Inauguration Day Trump directive requiring DHS to ensure all aliens present in the United States — legal and otherwise — have registered with the federal government, and to prosecute those who don’t comply.
By late February, Noem had implemented that registration program.
DHS next launched a multimillion-dollar ad campaign warning migrants not to enter illegally or, alternatively, to leave voluntarily now and possibly “have an opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American Dream.”
Noem also rebranded the notorious CBP One app — which the Biden administration used to funnel hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants into our country — as “CBP Home,” which aliens can use to “notify the U.S. Government of their intent to depart.”
That rebranding coincided with an offer of financial incentives for aliens who leave voluntarily, a stipend of $1,000. That’s in lieu of costly physical deportation, which can cost taxpayers $17,100 per person on average.
How effective has self-deportation been?
One way to track the program is by checking employment numbers. One financial whiz cited by the Wall Street Journal calculated a decline in the immigrant population of 773,000 in the first four months of Trump II.
The Washington Post claims “a million foreign-born workers have exited the workforce since March.” The Post frames this as “a sign of the weakening labor supply.” Yet the paper also notes, “Average hourly wages accelerated, rising by 0.4 percent over the month, to $36.24 in May, as earnings continue to beat inflation in a boost to workers’ spending power.”
In other words, with fewer illegal immigrants, businesses have had to raise wages to attract workers.
President Trump’s self-deportation option for illegal aliens is working like gangbusters. It has a great selling point. If you ever want to come back to America and have a chance at being a legal citizen, deport yourself now or be barred from reentry.
The official U.S. government ICE page says this about self-deportation and being barred from entry to the U.S:
Most aliens ICE arrests are detained and eventually removed. In some cases, these people remain in ICE detention for months while they wait for a final decision from an immigration judge.
Removal comes with other consequences, too, including bars to reentry. Bars to reentry are penalties for violating U.S. immigration law. Being barred from reentry means the U.S. government won’t let you come back into the U.S. — even for a short visit. You can be barred from reentry for three years, 10 years, or even permanently.
Trump’s plan is working. Leftists are going to fight him tooth & nail to keep the illegals in the country so they can convert them into Democrat voters. It’s up to us to support him & defeat their efforts.
Sacramento city council member speaking at the anti-ICE protest at the Capitol building now. “This is stolen land! This country was built by enslaved people, & exploited brown, Asian & indigenous people.” I think she forgot one major color that made up over 90% of the population. pic.twitter.com/EuiS5JlaOc
— Jeff Rainforth (@liberty_clarion) June 10, 2025
Sources: NY Post, The Washington Post
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