Assistance, stipend for migrants to self-deport, but some living in Colorado still have concerns

The Department of Homeland Security claims that self deportation is the best, safest, and most cost-effective option as opposed to the ongoing detention of immigrants at facilities like those in Aurora until they are removed from the U.S. Some in Colorado are concerned about incentivizing people to leave voluntarily.

It's in law offices like Conor Gleason's where the fear among migrant families about their status in the U.S. has reached an all-time high.

"Most people are coming to us with a certain degree of fear, crisis, and there's a general sense of chaos," said Gleason, who is a Senior Immigration Attorney at the Meyer Law Office. "Our consult hours are booked very far out."

Many questions focus on how people can stay, but Gleason says there have also been questions surrounding on if migrants can leave the U.S., especially in the wake of a new incentive by the federal government.

On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security announced it will be offering financial and travel support, as well as a $1,000 stipend if migrants self-deport using the CBP One app. The stipend would be granted once an individual can prove with the app that they have made it back to their home country.

"What I believe this program is a way to save money and to force people to leave who could actually have the opportunity to stay here permanently and a pathway to status," said Gleason.

Some migrant families and people who've been helping the migrant community tell CBS Colorado off camera they worry the offer is too good to be true, despite claims by DHS leaders that self deportation is the "best, safest and most cost-effective" option.

Some people helping migrants return back to their home say they do not know if migrants will really receive this stipend upon return, or if people who don't have any form of passport or identification will receive help.  

"I've met countless folks who, on their journey to the United States, were robbed of their documentation," said Gleason. "You can't generally enter the country without some sort of documentation proving that you're allowed to."

Gleason worries that if people do choose to leave, it could put them in a position where they may not be able to come back.

"If they have a certain amount of unlawful presence, they can't return for three months," he said. "If they have more than a year of unlawful presence, they can't return for 10 years. There are a lot of folks here who have been here for more than a year unlawfully."

CBS Colorado reached out to DHS to address questions raised by the migrant community about how this program will work and who will receive assistance, but has not heard back.