May 19 (UPI) -- The first immigrants who agreed to self-deport and accept a $1,000 stipend left on a chartered flight out of the United States on Monday, the Department of Homeland Security said.
The flight took 64 nationals -- 26 from Colombia and 38 from Honduras -- back home in "Project Homecoming." They boarded a charter bus and then a World Atlantic Airlines charter that left Houston at 9:30 a.m. CDT. Children were given toys and everyone received a lunch bag.
"This was a voluntary charter flight, not an ICE enforcement operation," DHS said in a news release, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"All participants were offered the same benefits as any illegal alien who self-deports using the CBP Home App. They received travel assistance, a $1,000 stipend, and preserved the possibility they could one day return to the United States legally."
Today, DHS conducted the first Project Homecoming charter flight from Houston, TX, to Honduras and Colombia, bringing 64 participants who opted to self-deport back to their home countries.
