Overview

• HHS and ORR notices outline a one-time $2,500 relocation stipend for unaccompanied minors aged 14 and older, with the offer expected to start with 17-year-olds.
• An email obtained by the Associated Press told shelters that eligible children would have 24 hours to respond and that directors should acknowledge the notice within four hours, with no penalty for declining.
• ICE says the option is strictly voluntary and the stipend would be provided only after an immigration judge approves the request and the child has returned to their country of origin.
• Roughly 2,100 unaccompanied children were in HHS custody as of October 2, reflecting longer shelter stays under tightened release procedures.
• Child-advocacy groups warn the cash offer could unduly influence vulnerable youths and point to legal risks, noting a judge recently halted an August effort to repatriate Guatemalan children.