Trump Administration Offers Migrant Children $2,500 To Leave The U.S. Voluntarily, Leaked Memo Reveals
(DDM) – A leaked federal memo has exposed a controversial policy under the Trump administration, offering unaccompanied migrant children $2,500 each to voluntarily return to their countries of origin.
Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that the program, confirmed by NBC News, applies to minors aged 14 and above currently held in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
According to the memo distributed to legal service providers nationwide on Friday, the initiative is presented as a “reintegration incentive” for minors who choose to “self-deport.”
The stipend, it claims, would assist with “reintegration efforts after voluntary departures,” and payments would be disbursed only after a judge formally grants the voluntary departure and once the child arrives in their home country.
However, immigration and child rights advocates have condemned the policy as unethical and coercive, arguing that it places psychological and emotional pressure on children who may not fully understand the consequences of their decision.
Emily Covington, assistant director of ICE’s Office of Public Affairs, defended the initiative, saying it “gives unaccompanied minors a choice and ensures they can make an informed decision about their future.”
But Wendy Young, president of Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), strongly disagreed, stating that the plan undermines U.S. laws designed to protect minors from trafficking, violence, and exploitation.
“Unaccompanied minors should never be removed without a full and fair legal process,” Young said. “This initiative erodes our moral and legal responsibility to protect vulnerable children.”
The news has triggered fear and confusion among immigrant communities across the U.S. Advocacy groups reported a surge of worried calls from parents, teachers, and local organizations unsure how the policy might affect undocumented children in schools and shelters.
In Nebraska, Roxana Cortés-Mills of the Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement said her office has received multiple panic calls since the memo’s leak.
“In my nine years of working with unaccompanied minors, I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said.
Similarly, Dalia Castillo-Granados, director of the Children’s Immigration Law Academy in Houston, described the offer as deeply troubling.
“These children are already in a vulnerable position,” she said. “Offering them money to self-deport raises serious ethical and humanitarian concerns.”
The memo also revealed that the program has reportedly been nicknamed “Freaky Friday” within internal immigration circles, a label that ICE officials have since denied using.
Analysts believe the plan is part of a wider deportation push by the Trump administration aimed at encouraging “self-deportation” among both minors and adults.
Reports indicate that a separate federal initiative also offers $1,000 to adults and families who agree to voluntarily leave the country.
As of August 2025, over 300,000 unaccompanied minors have entered the U.S. since the Biden administration took office, though most were released to sponsors or relatives pending immigration hearings.
The HHS still holds over 2,000 minors in government custody.
Legal experts warn that financially incentivizing minors to leave could violate child protection laws, international humanitarian conventions, and U.S. court rulings ensuring due process for children.
“Pressuring minors to self-deport through monetary means sets a dangerous precedent,” said Vanessa Dojaquez-Torres of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
“It’s troubling to see tactics designed for adults now being applied to children.”
The revelation has reignited America’s long-running debate over immigration ethics, border control, and the treatment of vulnerable minors, raising questions about the moral boundaries of enforcement under political administrations past and present.
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