US Offers Migrant Children US$3,000 to Leave

ARGENTINA · US IMMIGRATION POLICY

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is offering migrant children up to US$3,000 to leave voluntarily, according to lawyers and an unnamed DHS official. La Nación, a Buenos Aires daily, reported on 22 October 2026 that the offer also covers travel costs.

For US readers, the offer is a new way to cut the caseload of migrant children in court, which held over 16,500 cases in July. Bloomberg Law first reported it on 9 October, and an unnamed DHS official described the rules to ABC News on 13 October.

How the Migrant Children Offer Works

Adults who want to leave use CBP Home, a phone app run by US Customs and Border Protection, to register and request US$3,000. Migrant children take a different route, because lawyers say the offer reaches them inside immigration court.

According to lawyers quoted by La Nación, the package includes free plane or boat tickets and help with travel documents. It also waives certain civil fines tied to unlawful presence or an earlier removal order.

Government lawyers from ICE, the US immigration enforcement agency, sometimes make the offer, and immigration judges sometimes describe it, that first report found. A lawyer interviewed by Univision said the offer is made once, and the child must answer at that moment.

Who Qualifies for the US$3,000

A DHS official told ABC News that eligible minors must be in custody, be 14 or older and have no gang ties. Lawyers describe a wider practice, with offers reaching children as young as 5 who have open court cases.

Bloomberg Law described an offer to an 11-year-old client of the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, a legal aid group. A DHS spokesperson did not confirm payments to young children there and said the administration is focused on reuniting unaccompanied minors with their families.

The money goes to the child, not to the relative or sponsor who cares for the child in the United States. The Univision lawyer said sponsors receive nothing, even when they care for migrant children for years.

How It Grew From a 2025 Offer

The first version dates to October 2025, when Spanish-language media reported that DHS was preparing a US$2,500 payment for unaccompanied minors who agree to leave. An ICE spokesperson said then that payment would follow only after a judge grants voluntary departure and the minor arrives in the home country.

The new figure adds US$500, a rise of 20%. Adults can already request US$3,000 through CBP Home, so children are now offered the same sum.

What Critics Say

Shaina Aber, executive director of the Acacia Center for Justice, called the offers part of a pattern of pressuring children to give up their cases. She said children are asked to decide on the spot and may not grasp the long-term consequences.

Michael Lukens, executive director of the Amica Center, said ICE attorneys emailed legal groups nationwide offering a US$3,000 incentive. He said he is uncomfortable with a child being denied a fair day in court while being paid to leave.

Lawyers also warn that leaving the country can be treated as abandoning a pending asylum claim. Federal funding for legal aid groups lapsed in July, so many migrant children face the judge alone.

DHS defends its approach as protecting children, and a spokesperson told ABC News that many were placed with sponsors who were “smugglers and sex traffickers.” The Univision lawyer said many of the arrests the government cites involved people with family in the United States.

What It Means for Latin American Families

The offer applies to children in US immigration court, and none of the reports ties it to one nationality. La Nación’s report does not mention any Argentine child.

Guatemala shows how closely families watch these cases. In August 2025, the United States tried to deport dozens of Guatemalan children, and a federal judge blocked the move.

Lawyers advise sponsors and relatives to seek specialist advice before migrant children accept. They say everyone in removal proceedings should receive a list of low-cost lawyers.

What It Means for US Readers

The offer shows the administration using cash, not only enforcement, to reduce the number of migrant children in immigration court. It also raises a cost question for taxpayers, because the number of children who accept is not public.

Relatives and sponsors in the United States face a fast choice when a child is offered money to leave. Readers can also see our report on the US$2,600 offer to TPS holders and the teenager detained at an asylum check-in.

What Is Not Known

DHS has not said how many children were offered the payment or how many accepted it. It has also not settled the age limit, with an official citing 14 and lawyers describing offers from age 5.

It is unclear when the money is paid, and whether it arrives before or after the child reaches the home country. The 2025 version was described as payable after arrival, and no report confirms the same for the new offer.

More: Argentina news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does the US offer migrant children?

La Nación reports up to US$3,000, plus travel costs and help with documents. The 2025 offer was US$2,500, and adults get US$3,000 through the CBP Home app.

Which children can accept the payment?

A DHS official told ABC News that minors must be in custody, be 14 or older and have no gang ties. Lawyers say offers have also reached migrant children as young as 5.

Do sponsors or relatives get any money?

No, the payment goes to the child and not to the sponsor, according to a lawyer interviewed by Univision. She said many sponsors have also started deportation proceedings, because the child is in removal proceedings.

Can accepting the offer affect an asylum claim?

Lawyers warn that leaving the United States can be treated as abandoning a pending asylum request. In court, the government may also ask that the case be closed.

Does the offer apply to Argentine children?

The reports describe an offer to children in US immigration court, without limiting it to one nationality. None of them names an Argentine child.

Where can a family find legal help?

People in removal proceedings should receive a list of low-cost legal providers, and lawyers urge sponsors to use it before a child accepts. Legal aid groups such as Acacia and Amica work with unaccompanied children.

Sources: La Nación, Deportaciones masivas: el DHS ofrece hasta US$3000 para inmigrantes menores, 22 October 2026; Bloomberg Law, DHS offers migrant children US$3,000 to voluntarily depart US, 9 October 2026; ABC News, Trump administration offering migrant children US$3,000 to self-deport, 13 October 2026; Univision, EEUU ofrece incentivo a menores inmigrantes no acompañados para autodeportarse, 14 October 2026; El Imparcial, Gobierno de Trump prepara incentivos monetarios para que menores migrantes abandonen EEUU, 3 October 2025.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief

The Rio Times · Power Map

See who really holds power in Latin America

Click to open the Power Map →