(CNN) The US government wants to pay millions of dollars to help Mexico deport thousands of migrants who have entered the country hoping to reach the United States.

According to a notification State Department officials sent to Congress, $20 million would be used to cover the cost of bus and plane tickets to deport migrants from Mexico to their countries of origin.

The funding would be transferred from the State Department to the Department of Homeland Security as part of a "migrant removals pilot" that could result in the deportation of up to 17,000 people from Mexico, the notification said.

"This one time infusion of assistance will help the (government of Mexico) address, and potentially deter, irregular migrant flows, which will help keep illegal immigrants from entering into the United States through the southwest border," the notification said.

Officials from the State Department and Department of Homeland Security have been briefing congressional staff about the plan this week, according to a congressional aide who attended a briefing but was not authorized to speak publicly about what officials discussed.