The Trump administration’s first charter flight for dozens of “self-deporting” immigrants took off from Houston early Monday, part of a new program offering them a free trip back home and $1,000 — or else.

Why it matters: The self-deportation flights are one of the few incentives for unauthorized immigrants to present themselves to authorities under President Trump’s immigration crackdown, which is long on sticks and short on carrots.

The self-deportation program was announced in March. Since then, the administration has paid for tickets for some people to return to their home countries on commercial airliners.
For those who are unauthorized and either don’t turn themselves in or don’t agree to self-deport, the alternative is being detained by immigration officials and held — possibly for months — in overcrowded facilities.
Zoom in: Monday’s flight left Houston about 9:30 a.m. and took 65 people from Honduras and Colombia to their respective home countries, according to a Department of Homeland Security official.

To participate in the program, the immigrants logged into the CBP Home App and requested to be voluntarily flown home in return for the free trip and $1,000 after they land, the Homeland Security official said.
Zoom out: The program is a small part of fulfilling Trump’s campaign-trail promise for mass deportations after a historic number of migrants were allowed into the U.S. under his predecessor, Joe Biden.