"The Trump administration is offering unaccompanied migrant children $2,500 (2,129) to voluntarily return to their home countries, according to a letter sent to migrant shelters and confirmed by immigration authorities. According to the letter sent by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Refugee Resettlement, the department will provide a "one-time resettlement support stipend of $2,500" to unaccompanied children 14 or older."
"The process will start with 17-year-olds, according to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official, but will not include minors from Mexico. "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," ICE said in a statement. "Access to financial support when returning home would assist should they choose that option.""
"Rights advocates have criticized the program. Wendy Young, president of Kids in Need of Defense, told Reuters news agency that it is "a cruel tactic" which undermines protections for children fleeing violence. Melissa Adamson of the National Center for Youth Law told AP news agency that $2,500 "might be the most money they've ever seen," making it hard for children to assess the long-term risks of voluntary deportation versus staying in the US."
The Department of Homeland Security will offer a one-time $2,500 resettlement support stipend to unaccompanied migrant children aged 14 or older who choose to return to their home countries. Payments will be provided after an immigration judge grants the request and the child arrives in their country of origin. The program will begin with 17-year-olds and will exclude minors from Mexico. The State Department allocated $250 million for voluntary deportations in June, with prior offers of $1,000 for self-deportation. Rights advocates say the payments may pressure vulnerable children and complicate assessments of long-term safety risks.
Read at www.dw.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]