Germán Pineda, a 32-year-old Honduran immigrant who worked as a delivery driver in the U.S. for 14 years, was arrested by ICE in June 2025 and detained at Federal Plaza in Manhattan, then transferred to a Brooklyn detention center. After a month in detention, ICE officials presented him with voluntary departure papers and promised him a free flight to Honduras plus a $1,000 payment, telling him he could return to the U.S. legally later and threatening that refusing would mean months of additional detention followed by deportation. Desperate for relief, Pineda signed the form on July 25 but remained in detention for two additional months. After arriving in Honduras, his wire transfer went uncollected for over 30 days and was returned to the financial services company before he could collect it, leaving him with nothing. An investigation found widespread payment failures in the "Project Homecoming" program, with wire transfers going uncollected, payments sent to wrong recipients, and immigrants told they were ineligible despite initial promises. Pineda said he spoke with 10 friends from Honduras, Colombia, El Salvador, and Peru who signed the same paperwork and received nothing, and he now faces a 5-year ban on returning to the U.S. unless granted a waiver.