October 3, 2025 | @DailyImmigrant — The Trump administration has unveiled a controversial plan offering $2,500 payments to migrant children in U.S. government custody if they agree to return to their home countries voluntarily.
🔑 What’s Changing?
- ICE and the Office of Refugee Resettlement are piloting a program where unaccompanied minors could accept cash assistance in exchange for dropping asylum claims.
- Officials argue it will reduce overcrowding in shelters and speed up deportations.
- The payments would be funded through federal appropriations already set aside for “alternatives to detention.”
🧾 What Are the Options Now?
- Children can accept the $2,500 and return with limited reintegration support.
- They can remain in U.S. shelters and pursue asylum or special immigrant juvenile status.
- Advocacy groups are preparing legal challenges, calling the policy coercive and exploitative.
⚠️ Important Reminders
- The offer does not guarantee safety in home countries, many of which are facing violence and instability.
- Immigration attorneys warn minors should not make decisions without legal counsel.
- The ACLU and immigrant rights groups are urging Congress to investigate.
📲 Learn More: AP News Report
