Trump administration to offer $2,500 to migrant teenagers for voluntary return

The US government plans to offer migrant teenagers a $2,500 stipend to voluntarily return to their home countries, according to an administration memo on Friday.

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) memo stated that immigration officials have identified unaccompanied immigrant children aged 14 and older in custody who wish to voluntarily leave the US.

It said the administration "will provide a one-time resettlement support stipend of $2,500 to unaccompanied alien children, 14 years of age and older, who have elected to voluntarily depart the United States as of the date of this notice and moving forward."

The memo added that the "benefit is intended to support reintegration efforts following departure," and noted that unaccompanied minors from Mexico will be ineligible.

The option will initially be offered to 17-year-old migrants and must receive approval from an immigration judge.

Since taking office, the Trump administration has worked to remove immigrant children from the US, including reducing a federally funded program that offered legal aid to unaccompanied minors and limiting their legal representation.

As of Oct. 2, about 2,100 unaccompanied migrant children are in US custody, and the Trump administration is intensifying efforts to repatriate them, including a blocked August attempt to return dozens of Guatemalan children over parental safety concerns.