United States President Donald Trump's administration is now offering $2,500 to unaccompanied migrant children, specifically teenagers, to self-deport from the country.
The offer is being made through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which provides migrant teenagers with the opportunity to leave the country voluntarily and receive monetary compensation. It comes as the Trump administration had previously offered financial incentives for self-deportation.
Trump Administration Offers $2,500 for Unaccompanied Children to Self-Deport
These include a $1,000 exit bonus and have been offered to undocumented adult immigrants in the U.S. Administration officials defended the decisions by saying that self-deportation incentives are more cost-effective, due to the high cost of immigration detention and deportation.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sent a notice to legal service providers on Friday, saying that the administration will "provide a one-time resettlement support stipend of $2,500 U.S. Dollars to unaccompanied alien children, 14 years of age and older, who have elected to voluntarily depart the United States as of the data of this notice and moving forward, according to CNN.
The latest offer is expected to be initially given to 17-year-old migrants and would also require approval from an immigration judge. The $2,500 payment would be given to the migrants upon their arrival in their home country.
A spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said that the agency and the Office of Refugee and Resettlement at HHS are offering a "strictly voluntary option to return home to their families."
Eligibility for the Program
The ICE letter added that minors from Mexico will not be eligible for the program but noted that children who had already volunteered to leave the U.S. as of Friday will still be covered, Reuters reported.
The president of Kids in Need of Defense, Wendy Young, called the $2,500 offer a "cruel tactic" that undermined "laws that guarantee" a process to determine if a child is eligible for U.S. protection.
She added that unaccompanied youths who are seeking safety in the U.S. deserve protection instead of being coerced into agreeing to go back to their home country. Under federal law, migrant children who enter the U.S. without a parent or legal guardian are classified as unaccompanied and sent to federal government-run shelters.
The president of the New York Immigration Coalition, Murad Awawdeh, echoed concerns about the government's latest decision. He said that it only pressures youth to abandon their legal claims and go back to a life of fear and danger, as per Inquirer.
