Govt Offers Migrant Children $2,500 to Voluntarily Leave U.S.

 

By Oriontimes News Desk | October 5, 2025

The Trump administration has announced a controversial plan to offer $2,500 to unaccompanied migrant children who voluntarily agree to return to their home countries, sparking sharp criticism from human rights advocates and immigration lawyers.

According to internal letters obtained by Reuters and The Associated Press, the program, managed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), targets minors aged 14 and older, beginning with those who are 17. The payment, officials said, would be made only after an immigration judge approves the voluntary departure and the child has safely arrived in their country of origin.

The initiative reportedly excludes Mexican nationals and is framed by administration officials as a “humanitarian incentive” to reduce overcrowding in federal shelters. HHS has directed shelter operators to notify eligible minors within 24 hours and confirm acknowledgment of the policy within hours of receiving the notice.

However, immigration advocates have denounced the policy as coercive and exploitative, warning that many of these minors lack full understanding of their legal rights and could be pressured to abandon legitimate asylum claims.

“This is not a choice made in freedom,” one children’s rights attorney told The Washington Post. “It’s a desperate decision made under the weight of fear, isolation, and poverty.”

Critics also argue that the proposal undermines existing federal protections for unaccompanied minors, who are entitled to legal representation and due process before any deportation decision is finalized.

The plan echoes earlier “self-deportation” initiatives targeting adult immigrants, reviving debates over the Trump administration’s broader approach to border control and immigration reform.

As of now, the administration has not clarified how many children might be affected or how the payments will be funded. Advocacy groups have vowed to challenge the policy in court, describing it as “a bribe wrapped in bureaucracy.”