The Trump Administration is offering some unaccompanied migrant children $2,500 to voluntarily return to their home countries—a move that’s sparked concerns with Central Coast immigration experts.
A newly released federal memo describes the initiative as a “resettlement support stipend.” The program is being rolled out first to 17-year olds, and officials have said the funds are intended to help children reintegrate safely after returning home.
But some immigration scholars and advocates explained that the program could pressure vulnerable kids to give up asylum protections.
“A $2,500 check might seem like a short-term fix or something that’s quite appealing, but in the long term it jeopardizes their safety and their legal right to seek refuge or asylum in the United States,” Van Ramshorst said.
Van Ramshorst added that the program could signal a broader issue of U.S. commitments under international law, describing it as a “default on the ethics and morals that make the United States what it is and what it has been in the past.”
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson told KCBX that the program is strictly voluntary, adding that “cartels trafficked countless unaccompanied children into the United States during the Biden administration.” The agency said the stipend “gives minors a choice and a chance to return home safely,” and that payments would only be made after an immigration judge approves a child’s departure and they arrive back in their country of origin.
Mexican children are ineligible for the stipend, according to a federal government memo obtained by The Intercept.
