{"success":true,"data":{"id":"fab6dd41-2aee-46e2-ba13-b763a77afd36","title":"Team Trump is wisely pushing for most illegal migrants to go home voluntarily","summary":"An ICE agent arresting a man in Fort Myers, Fla. on July 25, 2026. Dave Decker/ZUMA / SplashNews.com Reversing the massive Biden inflow of illegal migrants remains a work in progress, but a necessary one — with getting as many possible to leave voluntarily quite vital.","content":"An ICE agent arresting a man in Fort Myers, Fla. on July 25, 2026.\nDave Decker/ZUMA / SplashNews.com\n\nReversing the massive Biden inflow of illegal migrants remains a work in progress, but a necessary one — with [getting as many possible to leave voluntarily quite vital.](https://nypost.com/2026/01/22/us-news/2-2-million-illegal-immigrants-self-deported-us-in-past-year/)\n\nPresident Trump stopped the wave cold in his first days in office, putting the lie to Democrats’ claims that the border _couldn’t_ be secured without new laws, and it remains stopped (at least until Dems regain power).\n\nBut former President Joe Biden waved in [millions of “asylum seekers,”](https://nypost.com/2026/05/08/us-news/migrants-choosing-to-voluntarily-give-up-asylum-claims-surge/) and millions more jumped the border while border agents were tied up processing the influx.\n\nGetting them all out, _without_ dangerous and chaotic mass ICE raids, is hard work, [made all the tougher by Democrats’ continued resistance](https://nypost.com/2026/07/16/opinion/blame-immigration-chaos-on-biden-and-harris-not-trump/) to any enforcement at all.\n\nWhich is why the feds need to push them to go home on their own.\n\nHomeland Security reports that of the 3 million-plus illegals who left the country during Year 1 of Trump’s second term, about 73% (some 2.2 million) self-deported.\n\nPart of that is the realization that staying forever won’t be as it once seemed; another is new financial incentives.\n\nDHS has issued more than 100,000 fines to illegals who have failed to comply with final removal orders. These fines clock in at $998 per day of overstay; the [fines now total in the billions](https://nypost.com/2026/07/22/us-news/dhs-issues-84b-in-fines-to-illegal-immigrants-under-trump-administration/).\n\nOn the other side of the equation, non-criminal self-deportees face no fines or asset confiscation and (unlike those forcibly removed) remain eligible for legal re-entry; the government even [makes subsidized flights home available.](https://nypost.com/2025/05/09/us-news/trump-offers-illegal-migrants-exit-bonus-free-flight-out-of-us-via-self-deport-executive-order/)\n\n### Get opinions and commentary from our columnists\n\nSubscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter!\n\nNever miss a story.","source_name":"New York Post","source_url":"https://nypost.com/2026/07/25/opinion/team-trump-is-wisely-pushing-for-most-illegal-migrants-to-go-home-voluntarily/","url":"https://nypost.com/2026/07/25/opinion/team-trump-is-wisely-pushing-for-most-illegal-migrants-to-go-home-voluntarily/","author":"Post Editorial Board","author_name":"Post Editorial Board","published_at":"2026-07-25T20:58:52.000Z","publication_date":"2026-07-25T20:58:52.000Z","image_url":"https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/lee-county-sheriff-s-department-135498875.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200","category":"world","topic":"world","tags":[],"political_bias":null,"bias_score":null,"confidence_score":null,"credibility_score":null,"factual_quality":null,"reading_time":2,"word_count":284,"view_count":0,"breaking":false,"breaking_news":false,"ai_analysis":null,"fact_check_status":"unverified","archive_status":"hot","language":null}}