In a controversial new policy, the Trump administration is offering $2,500 stipends to unaccompanied migrant children in the U.S. who choose to return voluntarily to their home countries.
The offer, detailed in a letter sent to migrant shelters, applies to minors aged 14 and older, with an initial focus on 17-year-olds. The funds would only be disbursed after a judge approves the return and the child actually arrives in their country of origin.
Under the proposal, minors from Mexico would be excluded. The policy is described as “voluntary,” but critics argue this might unduly influence vulnerable children into abandoning legal protections or the right to seek asylum Reactions have been mixed:
- Supporters say the policy gives minors a real choice and helps them financially ease reintegration into their home countries.
- Advocates and legal experts, however, warn that offering money to children in custody “distorts the process,” effectively pressuring them to give up rights and potentially return to unsafe conditions.
In recent months, the administration has also offered a $1,000 “exit bonus” to undocumented adults who choose to self-deport.
As of early October, more than 2,100 unaccompanied minors were in the custody of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
