DHS tells Haitian professionals to trade their US careers for a $3000 payout and return to as entrepreneurs to their nation

The Department of Homeland Security is encouraging Haitian doctors, lawyers, scholars, and engineers to leave the United States with a $3,000 payment. They are framing the offer as an opportunity to build businesses back in Haiti.

“Dear Haitian doctors, lawyers, scholars, and engineers, Imagine what you could do with $3000 in Haiti! An entrepreneur’s dream!” DHS wrote in a social media post, as reported by AOL. The agency linked to its program offering eligible undocumented immigrants a $3,000 “exit bonus” along with a free flight home.

The wording immediately drew criticism because DHS specifically addressed highly educated Haitian professionals rather than making a general appeal to undocumented immigrants. Per HuffPost, those who condemn the post argued that encouraging doctors, lawyers, scholars, and engineers to leave sends a striking message about who the administration wants in the country.

The $3,000 offer comes as Haiti faces a severe crisis

The pitch also arrives as Haiti continues to struggle with widespread gang violence and a major humanitarian crisis. According to the report, more than 1.5 million people have been displaced across the country, while more than 3,100 people were reported killed during the first half of the year.

That backdrop makes the language about an “entrepreneur’s dream” particularly contentious. Nancy Foner, a sociology professor at Hunter College, said that highly educated people with valuable skills should be welcomed, especially given the dangers facing Haiti.

The broader immigration policy is already affecting a large Haitian population in the United States. The administration moved to end Temporary Protected Status for roughly 350,000 Haitians. Deportation flights to Haiti have resumed as the government pushes people who no longer have permission to remain in the country to leave.

For the professionals directly addressed by DHS, the message is difficult to miss: take the money, take the flight, and try to build something in Haiti. Mary Hoopes, an associate professor at UC Law San Francisco, said she had not previously seen an administration specifically target a highly educated group with an “exit bonus” presented as an incentive.