United States: Donald Trump has ordered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to hire at least 20,000 new officers as part of a sweeping effort to enforce his administration’s deportation agenda.
The directive is central to what Trump calls Project Homecoming, a controversial initiative aimed at encouraging undocumented immigrants to voluntarily leave the United States.
Trump said he was making it ‘as easy as possible’ for undocumented migrants to exit the country. The executive order outlines federal funding for return flights and a cash exit bonus for those who choose to self-deport. However, it does not detail how the significant staffing increase at DHS will be financed.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a key agency under DHS, currently employs more than 21,000 personnel, including over 6,100 deportation officers and approximately 750 enforcement removal assistants.
Trump has also instructed DHS to partner with local and state law enforcement, the National Guard, and even former federal officers. The order calls on the agency to expand its capacity by deputising and contracting with a wide network of public safety personnel to support immigration enforcement.
The president’s continued focus on mass deportations comes as legal roadblocks continue to stall some of his more aggressive tactics. A federal judge in Texas recently ruled that Trump’s use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan migrants was unlawful. A second judge in New York later affirmed that decision.
Despite the setbacks, the administration is doubling down on its push for voluntary departures. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced $1,000 bonuses and paid travel for those willing to leave the U.S. through the CPB Home app, a tool developed to streamline the self-deportation process.
Trump warned that undocumented immigrants who choose not to leave voluntarily face significant jail time, enormous financial penalties, confiscation of all property, garnishment of all wages, imprisonment, and sudden deportation, in a place and manner, solely at our discretion.
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