The Trump administration announced Friday it will pay $2,500 to unaccompanied undocumented minors who voluntarily return to their home countries.

The Associated Press reported that the payments of $2,500 per person would be made to minors aged 14 and older, according to an email sent to migrant shelters.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that financial incentives were offered, but did not specify the amount of assistance or when it would be available, Reuters reported.

The move is the latest financial incentive from President Donald Trump's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to encourage voluntary deportations. In June, the State Department awarded $250 million to DHS for voluntary deportations, and the administration offered $1,000 in assistance to undocumented immigrants who confirmed their return to their home countries after “self-deporting.”

The department will provide a "one-time resettlement allowance of $2,500" to children 14 years of age and older who are in their care, according to a letter sent to shelters Friday by the DHS Refugee Resettlement Office.

ICE stated in a release that the offer is initially targeting 17-year-olds.

Minors from Mexico are ineligible for the program, but children who have already volunteered to leave the U.S. as of Friday are eligible, the letter said.

“All payments for repatriation will be provided after an immigration judge approves the request and the individual arrives in their country of origin,” ICE said. “Assistance with financial support upon return would be beneficial if they choose that option.”

Under federal law, migrant children who arrive at the U.S. border without a parent or legal guardian are classified as unaccompanied alien children (UACs) and are sent to federally run shelters until they can be placed with family or in foster care.

As of Thursday, more than 2,100 UACs were in HHS custody, according to HHS data.

Andrew Nixon, HHS director of communications, said in a statement that the program “gives UACs an option and allows them to make informed decisions about their future.”

Immigrant advocacy groups say the substantial sum could interfere with children’s ability to access information and make decisions about settling in the U.S., AP reported.

“For a child, $2,500 might be more money than they have ever seen in their lives, and that could make it very difficult to accurately weigh the long-term risks of choosing voluntary departure versus pursuing the legal relief they may be entitled to through immigration court proceedings in the United States,” said Melissa Adamson, senior attorney at the National Center for Youth Law, on Friday about the plan.

Immigration authorities (ICE) dismissed widespread reports among immigration attorneys and advocacy groups that they were launching a much broader sweep operation to deport immigrant children who arrived without parents on Friday, dubbed "Freaky Friday."

By NNP Chief Reporter Sung Ku Hong in the US / Special Correspondent NNP info@newsandpost.com