CAPTIVE AUDIENCE

Huge Problem With Trump’s ‘Voluntary’ Deportations Exposed

Leaked figures show Project Homecoming signs up deportees in 40 ICE lockups—but brands their departures “voluntary.”

Roughly half of migrants signed up to Donald Trump’s “voluntary” self-deportation program were recruited once they were already in ICE custody, leaked figures show. PunchUp, the Daily Beast’s investigative Substack, has spent months investigating Salus Worldwide Solutions—the scandal-ridden contractor behind the Department of Homeland Security’s Project Homecoming initiative, which pays migrants $2,600 plus a one-way flight to leave the country. Axios first reported the numbers, and that Salus case managers are in place across 40 detention facilities. About 132,000 have already left the U.S., with 70,000 more queued up, under what Salus describes as a “humane” alternative to shackled removals. In a July 13 letter to Rep. Bennie Thompson, Salus boss William Walters III wrote that the scheme cuts detention stays “from months to days.” The leaked figures come as Secretary Markwayne Mullin faces mounting pressure over the project. Thompson wrote to Mullin, demanding that he “take immediate action to stop this wasteful and corrupt spending” and cancel the deal outright after the DHS secretary threw Salus a $200 million lifeline in May. The contract is being recompeted. A DHS spokesperson said, “Project Homecoming remains a cornerstone of President Trump’s immigration enforcement success. The underlying Project Homecoming support contract, Comprehensive Support to Removal Operations (CSRO) Support Services, has been solicited for recompete. It is inappropriate to comment further until the CSRO Support Services contract proposal and award process has been completed.”

Tom Latchem exposes the secrets, scandals, and stories that powerful people and institutions want to keep under wraps. Follow all of his reporting at PunchUp on Substack.

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Tom LatchemLead Global Correspondent

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