Feds to fine migrants $18,000 to recoup deportation costs
DHS says the higher penalty would target more than 23,000 people a year and is meant to recover deportation costs, officials said.
- On May 20, the Department of Homeland Security proposed increasing civil fines for migrants ordered "removed in absentia" from $5,130 to $18,000, with public comments open through June 22.
- Last year, immigration judges ordered more than 300,000 people removed in absentia, a figure that tripled from 62,510 in 2022, as officials claim the hike covers enforcement costs incurred tracking these individuals.
- DHS officials acknowledge they will likely never collect most of the new $18,000 fines, noting that the annual per capita household income in Mexico is only $5,000, according to data firm ISI Markets.
- Sarah Mehta, deputy director of policy at the ACLU, criticized the policy, stating the goal is to "terrify people" into leaving and urging the White House to pursue legal pathways for migrants fleeing persecution.
- The Trump White House also repurposed the CBP One app into CBP Home, offering $2,600 self-deportation payments and forgiving fines for those who agree to leave the United States, expanding enforcement pressure.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Trump administration seeks to triple fines against immigrants with deportation orders "in absentia"
The U.S. government, led by Donald Trump, proposed to raise to US$18,000 the fines imposed on certain immigrants who failed to comply with deportation orders and who are subsequently detained by immigration authorities.The initiative, promoted by the U.S. Department of National Security, aims to increase from US$5,130 to US$18,000 the collection established last year by the Budget Reconciliation Act.
The Department of National Security (DHS) promotes a regulation to raise from $5,000 to $18,000 the economic sanctions for those who evade an expulsion order. Legal experts point out that the measure seeks to exert psychological pressure for people to use the official channels of the CBP One application. The federal government will maintain the mechanisms of collection on the assets and properties of those affected who remain in the country. Ent…
Telemundo Las Vegas
The Trump administration wants to increase the fines it imposes on immigrants to cover deportation costs. According to a report in the Federal Register, the Department of Homeland Security has proposed a rule that would raise the fines levied on immigrants to cover deportation expenses from $5,130 to $18,000. These fines were first imposed last year by the DHS following a congressional mandate.
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