THE United States Department of Homeland Security is set to launch a new programme offering unaccompanied migrant teenagers a one-time payment of $2,500 each if they agree to return to their home country voluntarily.
According to an internal memo cited by CNN, the pilot initiative will initially focus on 17-year-old migrants and will require authorisation from an immigration judge before any departure takes place.
The payment, intended to support the minors’ reintegration, would be issued only after they return to their home countries, the memo disclosed.
The proposed plan also builds on an existing voluntary return programme introduced during the Trump administration, which currently offers undocumented adults $1,000 “exit bonuses” for choosing self-deportation. Accordingly, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has defended the initiative, calling it a cost-effective alternative to lengthy detention and formal deportation proceedings.
“This programme is strictly voluntary and allows minors to make an informed decision about their future,” an ICE spokesperson was quoted as saying.
As of October 2, official data indicates that around 2,100 unaccompanied minors are currently in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services, awaiting placement or immigration hearings.
However, the new incentive programme has sparked criticism from immigrant rights advocates, who argue that offering payments to children to leave the country could breach legal protections for vulnerable youths under U.S. immigration law.
“There is no legitimate reason for the government to incentivise voluntary departure with a financial payoff,” said Neha Desai of the National Centre for Youth Law, describing the policy as “a troubling precedent.”
Advocates further argued that the payments could pressure minors into returning to unsafe or unstable conditions, potentially undermining the humanitarian principles meant to guide the care of unaccompanied migrant children.
The proposal has also reignited the debate over how the U.S. government handles the growing influx of border arrivals, especially unaccompanied minors seeking asylum or family reunification.
While the Department of Homeland Security insists the initiative is designed to cut detention costs and streamline immigration procedures, critics argue that it raises serious ethical and legal concerns about the treatment of migrant children under federal custody.
Fatimah Quadri is a Journalist and a Fact-checker at The ICIR. She has written news articles, fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy in an effort to combat information disorder.
She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or fquadri@icirnigeria.org