How many migrants returned voluntarily to their home countries from the U.S. in 2025 versus prior years?
Executive summary
Available reporting shows concrete counts for small, early flights and program launches in 2025 but no comprehensive national total for voluntary returns that year; examples include 68 migrants flown from Texas to Honduras and Colombia [1] and IOM stating it is supporting Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) in the U.S. at the request of the U.S. government [2] [3]. U.S. agencies announced financial incentives — a $1,000 “exit bonus” and travel assistance via the CBP Home app — and a $250 million State Department transfer to fund voluntary returns [4] [5] [6].
1. What the numbers we do have actually show — small flights, program pilots, big policy shifts
Reporting documents concrete, small-scale movements: Euronews and other outlets reported a flight of 68 migrants returned from Texas to Honduras and Colombia as part of a new U.S. initiative [1]. That same reporting and government material describe the launch and early use of CBP Home and related AVR support — an app-enabled pathway offering travel assistance and a $1,000 stipend [4] [5]. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) confirmed it is assisting AVR in the U.S., but IOM and UN pieces describe program support rather than a nationwide tally of returns [3] [2].
2. No single source provides a 2025 national total — the data gap matters
Available sources document policy changes, funding shifts and specific repatriation flights but do not publish a consolidated total for how many migrants voluntarily returned from the U.S. in 2025 [2] [3] [1] [6]. Migration data portals and IOM thematic pages cover return migration generally and note data collection challenges, but the Migration Data Portal warned thematic pages were not updated as of March 2025, underscoring limits to cross-year comparisons [7].
3. How the U.S. government’s incentives and funding could change counts — and why that complicates comparisons with prior years
DHS and CBP materials describe an “exit bonus” and travel assistance intended to encourage voluntary departures, including travel arrangements and fines forgiveness, which represent a marked operational change from prior periods [4] [5]. Reuters reported the State Department transferred $250 million to DHS to fund free flights and exit bonuses, an unprecedented repurposing of refugee aid that will likely increase program activity relative to previous years that lacked equivalent funding [6]. These policy and funding shifts make direct year‑to‑year comparisons invalid unless matched with consistent, centralized counting and definitions — which the available reporting does not provide [6] [7].
4. Competing framings in the reporting — “assisted voluntary return” vs. “self-deportation”
Sources frame the same actions differently. IOM and UN language emphasizes Assisted Voluntary Return as a rights‑based, voluntary choice supported by IOM [3] [2]. Government and some outlets use terms like “self-deportation” or “voluntary deportations,” with DHS promotional language stressing incentives and orderly departure via CBP Home [4] [5] [1]. Reuters and The Guardian place these moves in a broader political context — large policy shifts within the Trump administration and the repurposing of refugee aid to encourage departures [6] [8]. Those competing frames matter because they shape what counts as “voluntary” and affect reporting transparency.
5. What prior years tell us — limited baseline in sources, so beware assumptions
Available materials do not supply a robust multi‑year series of voluntary return totals from the U.S. to serve as a baseline for 2025 comparisons. The Migration Data Portal and IOM note longstanding AVR programs globally, but they do not provide a U.S. 2024‑to‑2025 time series in these excerpts [3] [7]. Therefore, claims that 2025 saw “X times more” returns than prior years are not supported by the provided sources; the coverage shows program expansion and specific flights, not a complete historical tally [6] [1].
6. What to ask next and where authoritative totals would come from
To produce a reliable 2025 vs prior‑years comparison, request consolidated counts from DHS/CBP and IOM: number of AVR/CBP Home departures verified through the app; definition used (AVR, voluntary departures, assisted vs spontaneous); and comparable annual data for 2022–2024. Reuters and DHS accounts confirm funding and program mechanics, but neither supplies a comprehensive 2025 return total [6] [4] [5]. The Migration Data Portal and IOM are logical places for standardized data, but the portal noted updates were limited as of March 2025 [7] [3].
Limitations and source note: This analysis relies solely on the provided reporting and official statements. Sources document program launches, incentives and individual flights (notably the 68‑person flight), IOM’s role in AVR, and a $250 million State Department transfer to fund returns [1] [3] [6] [4]. Available sources do not mention a comprehensive national total of voluntary returns for 2025 or comparable multi‑year totals.