Overview

• An HHS notice confirms a one-time $2,500 resettlement stipend for unaccompanied children 14 and older who choose voluntary departure.
• ICE says the option will initially be offered to 17-year-olds, with payment provided only after a judge approves the request and the child arrives in their country of origin.
• An HHS email to shelters set a 24-hour window for children to respond and asked directors to acknowledge receipt within four hours, according to the Associated Press.
• The memo says DHS will issue an I-210 addendum for children who agree to depart, while immigrant advocates warn the offer risks pressuring minors to waive protections.
• The move follows an August effort to send Guatemalan children home that a federal judge temporarily blocked, a case that remains ongoing.