On May 9, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed the announcement of a presidential post, establishing the “Project Homecoming”, aimed at voluntarily encouraging the undocumented migrants to leave the United States.
This program offers a $ 1,000 exit bonus for individuals who choose to depart, and is designed to accept them with flights funded by the government in any country.
This initiative is supported by a mobile app, CBP Home, which streamlines the booking process and offers an airport check-in service to assist migrants with departure procedures.
It forms part of a broader effort by the administration—including a nationwide communication campaign—designed to warn undocumented migrants of serious penalties for non-compliance.
These punishments may include expulsion, prosecution, penalty, wage garnishment, and confiscation of property. Additionally, the government plans to deploy 20,000 additional officers to implement exile.
Trump made it clear when he said: “Illegal aliens who stay in America face punishments, including significant jail time, enormous financial penalties, confiscation of all property, garnishment of all wages, imprisonment, and sudden deportation, in a place and manner solely of our discretion.”
What it means for African migrants
While the initiative provides significant incentives for voluntary departure, implications for African migrants are complex and multidimensional.
Many African migrants face practical barriers to fully accessing the benefits of the program. One major challenge is obtaining the necessary documents, such as a valid passport or travel papers, which can be difficult for various personal or bureaucratic reasons.
Although the program pledges to offer travel support in cases where documentation is lacking, delays and limited cooperation from African embassies—often located far from where migrants live—can create further obstacles and discourage participation.
In addition, the CBP Home app itself can create challenges for migrants from Francophone or Lusophone African countries, where language and technical barriers can occur that limit access to the platform.
This may lead to uneven participation, which may prevent them from claiming exit bonuses, availing of the flight proposal funded by the government.
Beyond logistical obstacles, “Project Homecoming” raises significant legal and human rights concerns.
If the administration proceeds with a plan to suspend Habeas Corpus – the prisoner’s writ for detained migrants – a step suggested by senior advisor Stephen Miller, but not yet formally adopted – African migrants may lose significant legal support.
Habeas Corpus allowed detained persons to challenge illegal custody in the federal court, and its suspension would mean that migrants would not have any judicial review to combat detention or exile orders.
This is especially problematic for asylum seekers with pending claims, as the lack of a clear legal process or the ability to challenge wrongful detention can lead to deportation based on mistaken nationality or misidentified identity—often with little chance for correction.
Comprehensive community and economic impact are also related.
Large-scale self-deportation can destabilize African migrant communities in the U.S., disrupt established social networks, and sever crucial remittance flows that many families back home depend on.
In addition to domestic concerns, there are important legal and international implications.
The 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol prohibit returning individuals to countries where they may face persecution. Rapid removals under initiatives like Project Homecoming risk violating these obligations if migrants’ claims are not thoroughly reviewed or properly deferred.
In addition, any attempt to suspend Habeas corpus without proper congressional authority would face legal challenges, as the Suspension Clause of the U.S. Constitution allows such action only in cases of rebellion or invasion.
