Trump admin to give migrant teens $2,500 to leave US voluntarily in bid to 'support reintegration'

WASHINGTON, DC: The US government is planning to give migrant teenagers $2,500 if they choose to return to their home countries voluntarily, according to an internal federal notice obtained by CBS News.

The move is part of the border effort by the Donald Trump administration to encourage self deportations and reduce the number of unaccompanied children in the country.

$2,500 offer for migrant teens

The notice was sent on Friday, October 3, by the officials at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

According to it, the Department of Homeland Security "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 as of the date of this notice and moving forward."

The $2,500 offer would be extended to unaccompanied migrant children who are under the custody of HHS' Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is legally mandated to place these minors in shelters, foster homes, and other facilities until they turn 18 or can be released to an appropriate sponsor.

Children from Mexico, however, would not be eligible for the stipend. 

The notice mentions that the $2,500 government bonus "is intended to support reintegration efforts following departure." Voluntary departure is a special legal process for unaccompanied children, and all such cases need to be approved by an immigration judge.

Historically, the majority of the unaccompanied children in federal custody have been teenagers from Central America who crossed the US southern border without any authorization and without their parents or legal guardians. 

ICE's take on new migrant policy 

According to ICE, the voluntary departure program is initially being offered to 17-year-olds. The agency said the "voluntary option" gives unaccompanied children "a choice and allows them to make an informed decision about their future.”

"Any payment to support a return home would be provided after an immigration judge grants the request and the individual arrives in their country of origin," ICE said in a statement. "Access to financial support when returning home would assist, should they choose that option.”

Attorney warns policy could harm migrant children

Melissa Adamson, an attorney at the California-based National Center for Youth Law, said unaccompanied minors "need meaningful legal guidance, not government cash payouts, to safely weigh the option of voluntary departure."

"Dangling money before vulnerable children distorts this process and could endanger their lives," she added. 

Part of a wider push by Trump admin to reduce illegal immigrants

The stipend is part of one of the several measures announced by the Trump administration aimed at encouraging unauthorized immigrants to leave the country, either through forced deportation or self deportation. 

In recent months, officials have offered adult illegal immigrants living in the US a $1000 self deportation bonus, along with travel assistance if they choose to return to their home countries. 

While ICE crackdowns across the country have become the most visible part of President Trump's tough immigration policies, his administration has also undertaken smaller efforts to remove or encourage the voluntary departure of unaccompanied children who entered the country illegally. 

Ever since taking office, the Trump administration has made it more difficult for the prospective sponsors, particularly those living in the US illegally, to take unaccompanied children out of federal custody.