DHS raises self-deportation offer to unaccompanied migrant children to $3,000

The Department of Homeland Security is offering unaccompanied migrant children in government custody $3,000 to voluntarily leave the United States, up from $2,500 last year. Advocates question whether children can make such a decision without independent legal counsel.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has begun offering unaccompanied migrant children $3,000 to voluntarily leave the country, ABC News reported. The amount is $500 more than the $2,500 incentive DHS offered minors last year.

According to a DHS official, the offer applies to minors who are in government custody, are 14 or older and have no gang affiliation. A legal service provider said DHS began offering the higher amount earlier this month.

DHS: “Protecting children”

The U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso (file photo)

A DHS spokesperson said Secretary Markwayne Mullin is “leading efforts to rescue these children and stop their exploitation,” arguing that many children who crossed the border unaccompanied “were allowed to be placed with sponsors who were smugglers.” “Unlike the previous administration, President Trump and DHS take the responsibility to protect children seriously,” the spokesperson said.

Concerns over legal representation

Immigration advocacy groups argue that the government seeking to deport these minors should not also be the one representing them in court. The administration recently assembled a team of government attorneys to represent migrant children in court after cutting ties with several advocacy groups that had provided those services.