President Donald Trump and his “self-deportation” program got blasted by Stephen A. Smith, particularly with how he described the experience of those who will self-report as a “beautiful flight home.”
In one of his recent videos, analyst Stephen A. Smith gave his honest criticism about the “self-deportation” program that President Donald Trump recently launched. In particular, he criticized how Trump tried to sell the program by describing the deportation flight as a “beautiful flight home.”
“And when we get back to the migrants and folks paying folks to deport themselves, well, if it’s $17,000 per person, how the hell did you come up with 1,000 as a stipend?” Smith asked. “Couldn’t you come up with 5 to 10?”
“How many people are going to turn themselves in for $1,000 and a free airline ticket?” he went on. “And then he had the audacity to say, ‘And they’re going to be a beautiful flight home.’ Well, how is it beautiful? First of all, you’re going back to a place you don’t want to go back to.”
“And how the hell do you speaking for the airlines now? When’s the last time you’ve been on one of these airlines to tell whether or not they’re beautiful? I’m just asking. These are logical questions. It’s going to be a beautiful flight home and $1,000.”
“Really? Really? Come on y’all.”
Donald Trump Offers $1,000 for Illegal Immigrants to “Self-Deport”
The Donald Trump administration has launched a program offering $1,000 stipends and travel assistance to undocumented migrants who voluntarily opt to self-deport from the United States.
The initiative, announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is being promoted as a cost-effective alternative to traditional deportation methods. According to DHS estimates, the average cost of arresting, detaining, and deporting an individual is around $17,000, making the stipend program significantly cheaper.
While officials claim the plan provides an incentive for migrants to leave safely and on their own terms, critics argue that it pressures individuals into forgoing legal pathways and could result in permanent bans from re-entering the U.S.
Despite the backlash, Trump has defended the program, emphasizing that self-deportation is the “best, safest, and most cost-effective” option for undocumented individuals. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem echoed these sentiments, insisting that migrants should leave voluntarily to avoid arrest.
As the debate intensifies, the self-deportation stipend remains one of the most hotly contested policies of Donald Trump’s second term, drawing scrutiny from both political opponents and immigration advocates.
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