Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is making a final year-end push to boost deportations under President Donald Trump, rolling out a blunt offer with a hard deadline.
Illegal immigrants who voluntarily leave the U.S. before Dec. 31 will receive a $3,000 cash stipend and a free flight home, Noem announced during a Monday appearance on Fox and Friends.
The offer triples the previous $1,000 self-deportation incentive used by the Trump administration earlier this year.
Noem framed the move as both a gift and a warning.
“Illegal aliens should take advantage of this gift and self-deport,” Noem said. “Because if they don’t, we will find them, we will arrest them, and they will not return.”
The message was unmistakable. Leave now with cash or face arrest and permanent removal later.
The announcement comes as frustration grows inside the Trump administration over deportation numbers failing to meet internal targets.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, more than 400,000 deportations have taken place during Trump’s second term so far. That pace falls well short of senior adviser Stephen Miller’s goal of 3,000 deportations per day.
Current averages range between 1,000 and 2,000 daily removals.
At the current pace, DHS projects roughly 600,000 deportations by the end of the year. Trump has publicly set a target of one million.
Noem’s Christmas incentive appears designed to pad those numbers before December 31 while freeing up enforcement resources for arrests in the new year.
The administration has simultaneously launched an aggressive hiring surge, attempting to bring on 10,000 new deportation officers before year’s end.
That push has sparked internal concern, as the Daily Mail reported.
A Daily Mail report earlier this month revealed rushed vetting, failed drug tests, and recruits who could barely pass basic requirements.
“We have people failing open-book tests,” one DHS official said. “We have folks that can barely read or write English.”
The same source said a 469-pound recruit was sent to the academy despite being medically unfit for physical activity.
Despite the issues, DHS defended the hiring push, claiming over 85% of new recruits are experienced law enforcement officers.
Noem’s position inside the administration may also be under scrutiny.
Trump has reportedly discussed replacing her as DHS secretary, with Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin named as a potential successor once his term ends.
The pressure is clear. Trump campaigned on mass deportations, and expectations inside the White House remain sky-high.
Noem’s offer marks one of the clearest signals yet that the administration is willing to pair incentives with threats to accelerate removals.
The strategy also reflects a broader shift toward zero patience.
Trump recently authorized expanded ICE operations, increased military support near the border, and tougher penalties for illegal reentry.
The message from DHS is consistent.
Leave now. Take the money. Or face arrest, detention, and permanent exclusion in 2026.
As Noem made clear, the clock is ticking.
