My mother wishes to travel across America.?
If this is her plan, she's going to have to take a lot of risks. Risk 1: coming to the U.S. without proof of funds. I've never had to do this, but I've also never had any of the Couchsurfers who've stayed with me from any European country asked anything more than their general plans. No request for proof of anything. But they could so it's still a risk, albeit fairly tiny. Side note: the fairer her and her son's skin, the less of a risk this will be. It's not something anyone wants to admit, but it's true. Risk 2: being in the U.S. without money or a valid work permit. This means she will need to find work under the table. It's easily done if you have the right connections or are willing to do really crappy jobs but it'll be difficult to swing with a kid in tow that won't even be able to go to school. Risk 3: driving around the U.S. with an expired visa. If she's already working under the table, she can probably find someone to get her a fake ID, but this is also really risky. It's a common practice for people in those situations, but it's risky. Also, once she gets the car how is she going to get money for gas, food, and car insurance? Panhandling? That's a sure way to have lots of interaction with law enforcement - something she definitely wants to avoid. Risk 4: leaving the country and trying to come back again. This is the most risky and most likely to lead to immediate deportation. I think she'll have to be in Canada or Mexico for a certain amount of time before she can come back to the U.S. and then she's still stuck with the van and the kid. Overall, I think it's doable (at least temporarily) but it's fairly risky without at least some base funds to get the ball rolling. If she didn't have the kid, I'd say go for it - the worst that can happen is deportation and she's right back to where she is now. With the kid, there's an added hesitation on my part because what is he going to do once she's here working to get the ball rolling? I think the roadtrip sounds amazing for the two of them, but it's going to be months before that happens - what will he do in the meantime?