U.S. President Donald Trump said he wants to give money and an airplane ticket to any immigrant who is in the country illegally who chooses to “self-deport,” and work to get those who are “good” back in the U.S., a break from his usual hardline immigration rhetoric.
Trump, who campaigned on a pledge to carry out mass deportations, said in a taped interview with Fox Noticias that aired Tuesday that his administration is focused right now on getting “murderers” out of the country. But for others in the U.S. illegally, he said, he’s going to implement “a self-deportation program.”
Trump offered few details about the plan, including timing, but said the U.S. would provide immigrants airfare and a stipend.
“We’re going to give them a stipend. We’re going to give them some money and a plane ticket, and then we’re going to work with them — if they’re good — if we want them back in, we’re going to work with them to get them back in as quickly as we can,” Trump said.
Fox Noticias interviewer Rachel Campos-Duffy, who is married to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, played Trump a clip of a Mexican man who she said arrived in the U.S. illegally more than 20 years ago and has children who are American citizens.
It is not clear if the man now has legal permission to be in the country, but Campos-Duffy said the man said that even though he cannot vote, he would have supported Trump. She played a clip of the man saying he agrees that if someone commits a crime, they should be returned to their countries — including himself.
“I look at this man. I say, this is a guy that we want to keep,” Trump replied. “I’ll probably take heat for saying it.”
He then asked if the man was supposed to be deported and answered his own question: “No, he didn’t say that. Good.”
“I don’t think he’s in any danger of it,” Trump said.
The Republican president also said wants to help hotels and farms get the workers they need and recommend people to fill needed positions.
He said that would be “very soothing” to farmers and said he ultimately wants workers who are in the U.S. illegally to leave and come back with legal permission, but he did not outline any steps to do that.
“We’re doing a self-deportation and we’re going to make it comfortable for people," he said. “And we’re going to work with those people to come back into our country legally.”
Fox Noticias said the interview with Trump was taped Monday.
Associated Press writer Will Weissert contributed to this report.
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
33 Comments
chatanista
Sounds like a fair offer.
Chyobaka
I wouldn’t take Trump at his word as he’s a known liar and convicted felon. If he is telling the truth though, it sounds like all the media coverage and protest is working and he could be finally realizing how stupid his original plan was.
GuruMick
Must have changed Trumps meds....sounds more Xanax now.
Typical reverse gear policy change though.
And would it be cheaper to have a program where "the good ones ", illegal but "good "...lol....can apply in the US itself ?
And what to do with all that whipped up rage and adrenaline within the ICE workforce ?
Trump playing "good cop " must be confusing for these keepers of the flame.
Wasabi
Like this is his job to look at a person and judged him/her.
Blacklabel
Sounds reasonable.
all illegals out, then we can focus on legal immigration as needed by skillset.
GuruMick
If US farmers and others did not employ illegals at lower pay rates and without conditions, the main driver for illegal entry to US would vanish.
No one ever talks about this.
What would happen to ,say, US inflation , if there were no illegals sweating for a pittance, but legal workers were paid minimum wage.
I think illegal immigrant workers underpin much of the US prosperity at the upper echelons.
Australia has a few ideas in this. Maybe US already has these schemes.?
Farmers need labour during harvest time, not so much at other times.
Australia provides visas for people who will work on farms , move around the country harvesting different crops , with a little bonus of an extra visa period if you show proof of employment.
Similarly, Pacific Island people can get work visas in a similar manner, but return home when the visa and the work is completed.
Gotta be better than an El Salvadorean prison
Blacklabel
We can’t fix legal immigration until all the illegals are gone.
RYSVoice
Oh! That is a new option to make a cheap tourism and earn some money,enter like an illegal to USA and self-deported ,get a free airt ticket and some stipend.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Well given how ineffective the Trump administration is doing things, this might be the only way to get deportation numbers approaching Biden's.
virusrex
I can totally see a blooming business with coyotes bringing continuously people over the border to receive money, be extradited and then go into the US again, and again, and again...
BeerDeliveryGuy
I can see how that *might be an incentive. It costs thousands of dollars to deport one individual, and he/she gets nothing but an in flight meal, If at all.
If I was already at risk of being deported and offered several thousand dollars to leave, I’d use half of that money to sneak back in again.
GuruMick
Black label....I cant see "all the illegals gone " ever....too many, too long in the USA, have all sorts of family work, community ties etc.
Bring them out of the shadow workforce and allow them to apply for a limited period of citizenship..on US soil... .all goes well, then welcome aboard.
I can see how "illegals " push peoples emotion buttons but is this really the biggest issue facing America ?
I'veSeenFootage
And "we" can't fix domestic terrorism until all the terrorists are gone. So I fully support the deportation of all far-right extremist group members, J6 insurrectionists, and, just because you can't be too careful, all MAGA fans.
Blacklabel
it is. why do you think Trump was elected to stop it over Democrats who encouraged it.
GuruMick
Beer man....there is work for as a "coyote " on the border towns in Mexico.
"Si...es mi barrio homes..."
Bob Fosse
If Biden/Harris had suggested paying illegal immigrants to leave, giving them money and a plane ticket, then helping them come back in, maga would have lost their minds.
Now it’s a good idea.
Mr Kipling
I believe that the wages offered are low but the same as those offered to US citizens. Its just that working long hours in hard conditions for low pay isnt too popular. Same problem in Japan.
Blacklabel
any who are illegally in our county (well my country, not yours), yes please.
and don’t forget your leftist terrorists firebombing Teslas and burning governors mansions.
virusrex
You can replace then "minimum wage" from the hypothetical scenario with "a salary that would make legal workers choose long hours in hard conditions instead of much easier jobs"
GuruMick
Nah...I cant see "illegals " getting the same pay as "legals "
They have zero bargaining power and zero access to any system to represent unfair work practices.
Mr Kipling
Very true. There is a price point that even the worst job becomes attractive. But this cost is passed on to the consumer. Then if you pay fruit pickers more, supermarkets would have to pay more to attract staff and so on. Before you know it, everyone would be getting a living wage and able to afford healthcare.
bass4funk
Great idea.
lincolnman
The utter ridiculousness and moral depravity of MAGA-world...
Trump Nov 2024: "They're eating the cats, they're eating the dogs!"....
Trump Apr 2025: “I look at this man. I say, this is a guy that we want to keep,” Trump replied. “I’ll probably take heat for saying it.”
Hypocritical flip-floppity fools....
I'veSeenFootage
Why talk about illegals? All US intelligence agencies continuously rank domestic terrorism from white supremacists as one of the biggest threats to the United States. Not "illegals", but "domestic terrorism". And the real kind, perpetrated against citizens and public officials by far-right groups. The "let's invade the capitol to hang Mike Pence" kind. Not the fake "we need to protect Elon's company" kind.
Meh, you're probably not even American. Hungarian at best.
chatanista
Well given how ineffective the Trump administration is doing things, this might be the only way to get deportation numbers approaching Biden's.
While Trump admin roiling of financial markets is the opposite of stability there is no denying they have stabilized illegal border crossings and immigration.
February & March border crossings:
2024: 380,000 ( Biden )
2025: 22,000 ( Trump )
virusrex
A scenario that unfortunately depends on the mistaken assumption that doing this would not result in higher prices and that everybody would have access to as much money as it is needed to suddenly raise wages without increasing profits at all.
Looking at how health care (and specially health insurance) is being de regulated and released from control from the government it becomes also doubtful that people can access it even with much higher salaries. It is much more likely that this would result in more profits with even less people being able to afford reasonable coverage.
Coyotes agree.
lincolnman
Any time you hear Trump ranting about illegal immigrants, look to see what he's deflecting from...
In this case, it's what he and his cabal of criminals want to you forget about - they're raping the lower and middle class to give huuuuge tax breaks to themselves, privatise Social Security and Medicare so the fat cats can rip off even more people, and embed corruption throughout government...
And of course his supporters fall for the hustle - just like they always do...
Blacklabel
RankeD.
that was the “Biden” intelligence agencies pushing partisan politics though.
(white only) Parents at school meetings were also domestic terrorists to them.
HopeSpringsEternal
Many programs being set up to allow those to self-deport and then apply legally to re-enter.
Due to DOGE digital audit efforts, many funds from the Social Security Programs, including Medicare and Medicaid being turned off that were funding illegal immigrants living costs = $hundreds of Billions annually.
Those losing their 'free' lunch from US taxpayers, also self-deporting rapidly, no more expensive hotels in NYC!
Blacklabel
or, more simply, he’s actually talking about illegal immigrants. Who have murdered our citizens over and over and need to be gone.
lincolnman
Indeed - now the white supremacist domestic terrorists are part of Trump 2.0....
Or employed as maids, butlers and groundskeepers at MAL, Bedminster, and Westchester...
HopeSpringsEternal
Trump wants legal immigration, not people unvetted and breaking the law upon entry.
It's common sense and why DJT WON the Hispanic vote in Nov., first Republican ever, because most Americans of every race, color and creed support LEGAL, not Illegal immigration, that's fueled inflation and crime.
GuruMick
Hope...how has illegal migration fueled inflation.
I would think underpaying workers would be a downward pressure.
Any stats for the illegals and crime claim ?
Interested because migrants from outside US, have lower arrest rates than native born Americans.