DHS offers cash incentives to local police for locating unaccompanied migrant children

During a June briefing, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned of “absolute horrific things” affecting migrant children and said the department would act to rescue them. He outlined a new “verification initiative” that pays local police, sheriffs and constables participating in the 287(g) program for locating unaccompanied alien children and confirming their living conditions, with payments reported as high as $2,500 for address confirmation and up to $20,000 for broader safety verification.

The scheme, now active in Florida and other states, has led officers to conduct checks in schools and neighborhoods, sometimes without prior notice. Critics, including Mary Miller Flowers of the Young Center, contend that the approach threatens families by prompting arrests of sponsors, sending children back to the Office of Refugee Resettlement and accelerating deportation proceedings. The initiative also involves transferring extensive data from ORR to DHS, and Attorney General Todd Blanche has directed prosecutors to prioritize charges against sponsors. Advocacy groups stress that children’s wellbeing is best ensured by keeping them with caring relatives and providing legal representation, not by expanding immigration enforcement tools.