Washington, D.C. –
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is reportedly offering unaccompanied children seeking safety in the United States $2,500 to return to their countries of origin and waive their claims for protection. The administration’s plan reportedly targets unaccompanied children in U.S. custody aged 14 and older, and some report the administration may lower the age to 10.
In response to this development, Kids in Need of Defense President Wendy Young issued the following statement:
“This is an egregious abuse of power and a cruel tactic that uses children as pawns in the Administration’s immigration enforcement efforts. Unaccompanied children seeking safety in the United States deserve our protection rather than being coerced into agreeing to return back to the very conditions that placed their lives and safety at risk. Unaccompanied children should never be removed from the United States without a full and fair process to determine if they are eligible for U.S. protection. This operation undermines laws that guarantee that process for unaccompanied children, and it runs counter to our nation’s longstanding commitment to protect the most vulnerable among us – children – from violence, trafficking, abuse, persecution, and other grave dangers. We urge DHS to immediately halt its operation and ensure that every child in U.S. custody has access to the rights and protections enshrined in U.S. law.”
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Media Contact: Megan McKenna, mmckenna@supportkind.org, 202-631-9990