US Fines Immigrants Ordered Out Up to $1K a Day

Immigrants who overstay US deportation orders are now getting more than a warning in the mail. The Trump administration has seized on and expanded an ignored power to levy massive civil penalties—up to $998 per day, potentially reaching $1.8 million per person—on those who remain in the country after a judge has ordered them removed. The imposition of such fines has been allowed since 1996, but President Trump's is the first administration to do so, the New York Times reports. A similar effort in his first term hit roadblocks.

Homeland Security said Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued more than 103,000 fines since January 2025, totaling over $84 billion on paper, and has collected more than $1.2 million so far. Letters often arrive alongside a flier promoting a self-deportation app that promises fine "forgiveness" if people leave voluntarily. The department did not say how many immigrants have self-deported to avoid facing the penalties. Immigrant advocates have filed federal lawsuits arguing the fines are unconstitutional and coercive; the government maintains remaining in the country to pursue other immigration relief is no defense.