Trump Admin Reportedly Offering Over $2,000 To Migrant Minors If They Self-Deport

The Trump administration is reportedly offering $2,500 to children who self-deport, giving them 24 hours to respond after they are given the proposal, according to a new report.

The Associated Press obtained an email sent to migrant shelters with the offer, which is aimed at those 14 years of age and older. It did not specify whether those who reject it will face any consequences.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) noted in a statement that the offer was initially aimed at 17-year-olds but then expanded. "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," the agency claimed. "Access to financial support when returning home would assist should they choose that option."

Overall, authorities have detained over 400,000 unaccompanied minors since October 2021, according to border authorities.

Advocates interviewed by the outlets claimed that the offer could lure them to making an uninformed decision: "For a child, $2,500 might be the most money they've ever seen in their life, and that may make it very, very difficult for them to accurately weigh the long-term risks of taking voluntary departure versus trying to stay in the United States," Melissa Adamson, senior attorney at the National Center for Youth Law, told the AP.

The Trump administration also offers $1,000 to adults who self-deport. The first such flight took place in May and involved 64 people who were flown from Houston to Honduras and Colombia. "All participants were offered the same benefits as any illegal alien who self-deports using the CBP Home App. They received travel assistance, a $1,000 stipend, and preserved the possibility they could one day return to the United States legally," said the Department of Homeland Security in a social media post.

Migrants were given $1,000 debit cards from the U.S. government as well as an offer to eventually be allowed to apply for legal entry into the country.