SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras (AP) — On Monday, the US government facilitated the return of 68 immigrants back to their home country, initiating a flight aimed at promoting Voluntary deportation, as proposed by the Trump administration.
In San Pedro Sula, a city in northern Honduras, 38 immigrants, including 19 children, arrived on charter flights, each carrying a $1,000 debit card provided by the US government. They are also given the opportunity to apply for legal entry into the US one day in the future.
US President Donald Trump has pledged to significantly ramp up deportations. Experts believe that the option for voluntary return may appeal to only a small portion of migrants who were already contemplating going home, and they are skeptical about it generating high interest. This initiative coincides with heightened focus on immigrant detention in the US, which has resulted in hundreds of Venezuelans being sent to the largest security prison in El Salvador.
Kevin Antonio Posadas, originally from Tegucigalpa, had spent three years in Houston and was already thinking about returning to Honduras when this new offer was unveiled.
“I wanted to see my family and my mother,” Posadas stated.
“You just need to apply (using the CBP Home App), and within three days you get confirmation,” he shared. He departed from Houston early on Monday.
Posadas mentioned that he wasn’t particularly worried about deportation; he enjoyed his life in the US but had been contemplating returning home for a while. He expressed that he would consider the US government’s offer to enable voluntary returnees to legally enter the country.
In a statement regarding Monday’s flight, Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem said, “If you are here illegally, you can use the CBP Home App to manage your departure and receive financial assistance for your return home.”
According to a statement from the US Department of Homeland Security, among those boarding the flight, 26 migrants were en route to Colombia.
Honduras Deputy Minister Antonio Garcia remarked that the Honduran government would also provide returning immigrants with $100 in cash and an additional $200 in credits for essential items at government-operated stores.
Included in the group that voluntarily returned on Monday were four children born in the United States, as noted by Garcia.
Honduras immigrants voluntarily returned from the United States on Monday, May 19, 2025, after arriving at Ramon Vilda Morales Airport in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
When Garcia welcomed the immigrants at the airport, he informed them that undocumented presence in the US was becoming increasingly challenging and that conditions had grown more hostile, making them fearful of working.
Nevertheless, the number of Hondurans deported from the US this year remains below last year’s figures, according to Wilson Pass, director of Honduras immigration.
This year, approximately 13,500 Hondurans have been deported from the US compared to over 15,000 by this time in 2024, Pass noted.
He does not anticipate a significant increase in those numbers, despite the Trump administration’s intentions.
Some individuals continue to apply for self-deportation, feeling that their time in America is limited or due to the heightened difficulty in securing work.
“I don’t believe thousands will apply for the program,” Pass commented. “Our duty is to ensure their return is orderly, and we provide them with support.”
___
Gonzalez reported from Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Source: apnews.com