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U.S. Government Offers $2,500 Stipend to Migrant Teens for Voluntary Return Home
WASHINGTON D.C. – The U.S. government is initiating a new program offering a $2,500 stipend to unaccompanied migrant teenagers who choose to voluntarily return to their home countries. This move, detailed in an internal federal notice obtained by CBS News, marks the latest effort by the Trump administration to encourage self-deportations.
The notice, issued Friday by officials at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), states that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will provide a “one-time resettlement support stipend of $2,500” to “unaccompanied alien children, 14 years of age and older, who have elected to voluntarily depart the United States.” This offer applies to minors currently in the custody of HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which is responsible for housing these children until they turn 18 or are released to a suitable sponsor. Notably, children from Mexico are not eligible for this financial incentive.
Historically, the majority of unaccompanied children in federal care have been teenagers from Central American nations, having crossed the U.S. southern border without authorization or adult supervision.
The $2,500 bonus, according to the HHS notice, is “intended to support reintegration efforts following departure.” Voluntary departure is a specific legal process for unaccompanied children that requires approval from an immigration judge.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), responding to inquiries about the program, indicated that the “voluntary option” is initially being extended to 17-year-olds. The agency stated it provides unaccompanied children with “a choice and allows them to make an informed decision about their future,” adding that any payment would be issued after an immigration judge grants the request and the individual arrives in their country of origin.
However, the initiative has drawn criticism from legal advocates. Melissa Adamson, an attorney with the California-based National Center for Youth Law, voiced concerns that “dangling money before vulnerable children distorts this process and could endanger their lives.” She emphasized that unaccompanied minors require “meaningful legal guidance, not government cash payouts,” to make safe and informed decisions regarding voluntary departure.
This stipend is part of a broader push by the Trump administration to increase the number of unauthorized immigrants leaving the country. Similar programs have offered adult immigrants in the U.S. illegally a $1,000 “self-deportation bonus” along with travel assistance.
Beyond financial incentives, the administration has also implemented policies making it more challenging for prospective sponsors, particularly those in the U.S. illegally, to take custody of unaccompanied children. Furthermore, efforts have been made to circumvent legal protections for most unaccompanied minors. Federal law typically exempts unaccompanied children not from Mexico or Canada from expedited deportations, requiring them to appear before an immigration judge where they can seek asylum or special visas.
A recent attempt in late August to deport over 70 Guatemalan children, many with active U.S. immigration cases, was blocked by a federal judge just as the children were preparing to board planes. A subsequent Guatemalan government report revealed that none of the children’s parents had affirmatively requested their return. Additionally, Trump administration officials have directed ICE agents to conduct “welfare checks” on unaccompanied children released from federal care, citing disputed claims about thousands of “lost” migrant minors under a previous administration.