What is the burden of proof required for $3,000 self-deportation rewards given the massive fraud schemes propagated by illegal immigrants?

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under the Trump administration has claimed that approximately 1.9–2.5 million undocumented immigrants have voluntarily self-deported since January 20, 2025, contributing to a total of over 2.5 million departures (including around 605,000–622,000 formal deportations).

These self-deportation figures are presented as a key achievement of enforcement policies, including workplace raids, public messaging, and incentives like the CBP Home app's stipend program.

However, the majority of these claimed self-deportations (roughly 1.6–1.9 million) lack direct, individualized proof or verification through government tracking systems like border exit records, flight manifests, or app-based confirmations.

Instead, DHS relies on an unorthodox methodology: demographic estimates derived from voluntary surveys of the foreign-born population, such as those from the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey or analyses by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), a think tank influential in Trump policy circles.

These estimates calculate net reductions in the undocumented population by comparing population trends, rather than counting confirmed departures.

DHS officials have declined to provide detailed explanations for the basis of these numbers when pressed, and such survey-based data has not historically been used as a metric for deportations in official statistics.

In contrast, only a small fraction—around 25,000–35,000—of the total claimed self-deportations have been verifiably tracked through the CBP Home app, which requires registration, biographical data, and post-departure confirmation (e.g., via travel records or user-submitted proof).

Critics from immigration advocacy groups, media outlets, and analysts argue this creates a substantial discrepancy between DHS claims and independently verifiable data, with the bulk of the figures potentially inflated by attributing natural population fluctuations (e.g., due to economic factors or fear of enforcement) to direct policy impacts.

For instance, some "voluntary" departures may include individuals leaving detention to avoid prolonged custody, rather than true self-initiated exits.

DHS counters that the numbers reflect broader enforcement success, including pressure tactics like raids and public campaigns, but no comprehensive audit or third-party verification has substantiated the majority of the self-deportation claims as of December 30, 2025.

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The burden of proof for claiming the $3,000 reward is relatively low for the individual and primarily rests on the government: after registration and departure, DHS verifies through the app (via unspecified methods like border exit records or post-departure confirmation) that the person has left U.S. soil and returned to their home country before disbursing the payment.

No detailed personal documentation (e.g., extensive identity proof beyond app registration) is explicitly required in public program descriptions, though vetting may involve basic identity checks to confirm eligibility and prevent duplicates.

Successful registrants receive temporary deprioritization from ICE enforcement while arranging departure.

Regarding massive fraud schemes by illegal immigrants (such as the multi-million-dollar "Feeding Our Future" COVID relief fraud in Minnesota or gift card scams allegedly run by some undocumented groups), the program incorporates basic prevention measures like mandatory use of the official CBP Home app for tracking and verification to minimize abuse, along with warnings about external scams impersonating DHS representatives.

However, no sources detail heightened burdens or additional proofs specifically tied to these broader fraud concerns—DHS emphasizes the program's cost savings (e.g., $3,000 plus airfare vs. $17,000+ per forced removal) over expanded anti-fraud protocols.

Critics note the incentive could be misleading or create pressure leading to unintended legal consequences like reentry bars, but evidence of widespread fraud within this specific program itself is not substantiated in available reports.

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