The U.S. government is considering a controversial new strategy for managing the border: paying migrant teenagers to return home.
Citing an internal memo, CNN reports that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is developing a pilot program that would offer unaccompanied migrant teenagers $2,500 to voluntarily return to their countries of origin.
How the Program Works
The initial phase would target 17-year-olds. The payment, described as a “reintegration stipend,” would be disbursed after the minor arrives in their home country, intended to help them resettle.
Officials state the goal is two-fold: to reduce expensive long-term detention costs and to encourage voluntary returns. Each case would require final approval from an immigration judge. An ICE spokesperson stressed that the program is entirely voluntary, allowing minors to “make an informed decision about their future.”
This initiative mirrors a previous Trump-era program that offered $1,000 “exit bonuses” to undocumented adults who chose self-deportation.
Advocates Sound the Alarm
However, immigrant rights advocates are strongly condemning the plan.
Critics warn that financial incentives could pressure vulnerable youths into returning to unsafe or unstable conditions. Neha Desai of the National Center for Youth Law stated, “There is no legitimate reason for the government to incentivize voluntary departure with a financial payoff.”
Advocates argue that this move undermines established U.S. protections for migrant children and will likely reignite ethical debates over deportation practices. As of October 2, approximately 2,100 unaccompanied children were in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services.
