Florida officials, in coordination with federal immigration authorities, have launched a controversial new program offering state-funded one-way flights to immigrants who agree to self-deport rather than face detention.
The initiative, first reported by the Washington Examiner, has been quietly operating for several weeks and reflects the growing alignment between Florida’s law enforcement and federal immigration priorities under Governor Ron DeSantis, a close ally of former President Donald Trump.
According to state officials, immigrants detained by local law enforcement—including the Florida Highway Patrol—are taken to federal Border Patrol facilities, where they are presented with an option: accept a free flight back to their country of origin or face potential detention while awaiting immigration proceedings.
“We give them that one last chance — and you can quote me on this — to do the right thing, and that is self-deport,” said Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. “If they do that, then we, the state of Florida, will help them get from Florida back to their home country by purchasing that low-cost, one-way flight.”
Officials claim the program offers a faster, more cost-effective alternative to months-long detention in a backlogged immigration system. A similar federal program offers $1,000 incentives and self-deportation options via the CBP One mobile app.
Critics: “Inherently Coercive”
However, immigration advocates and legal experts have raised alarm over the program’s structure, calling it coercive and a violation of due process rights.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, called the program “inherently coercive,” pointing out that individuals are forced to make life-altering decisions—often within hours—under the threat of detention in Florida’s harshest immigration facility.
“This program raises MAJOR due process concerns,” Reichlin-Melnick wrote on X. “People are being forced to leave behind their families, jobs, and homes in the U.S. with very little time to consider the consequences—under threat of being detained in conditions all know are bad.”
The state’s primary immigration detention center, nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” has faced numerous complaints from civil rights groups over poor conditions, lack of access to legal counsel, and reports of inhumane treatment.
Expanded Immigration Enforcement in Florida
Florida’s program is part of a broader strategy under Governor DeSantis to deepen state involvement in immigration enforcement. His administration has encouraged state and even university police departments to enroll in the federal 287(g) program, which deputizes local officers to carry out immigration duties traditionally handled by federal agents.
This growing cooperation has had a chilling effect in Florida’s Latino communities. Residents report increased fear of routine traffic stops, with many avoiding driving altogether, removing cultural symbols from their cars, and no longer playing Spanish-language music in public.
Civil rights groups like the ACLU warn that these partnerships effectively license racial profiling. A 2022 report analyzing 140 local agencies in the 287(g) program found that 59% of participating sheriffs had used “anti-immigrant, xenophobic rhetoric,” while 65% had documented patterns of racial profiling or civil rights violations.
“The fusion of state policing with federal immigration enforcement is dangerous,” said an ACLU spokesperson. “It leads to targeting people based on skin color or language, not criminal behavior.”
As the immigration debate intensifies nationwide, Florida’s self-deportation initiative offers a stark example of how states are testing the limits of their role in federal immigration enforcement—sparking legal, ethical, and humanitarian concerns.
