The United States Department of Homeland Security is preparing to impose steep financial penalties on tens of thousands of migrants to recover the costs associated with their arrest, detention, and deportation under a new Trump administration policy that could also complicate future legal reentry into the United States.
Under the proposal, migrants could face fines of roughly $18,000 each.
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Homeland Security officials reportedly acknowledge that the government is unlikely to recover most of the money, particularly given the economic realities in many migrants’ home countries.
According to data cited from London-based analytics firm ISI Markets, Mexico’s annual per-capita household income is estimated at roughly $5,000.
Even so, White House officials have argued that the penalties are not solely about revenue collection.
Instead, administration officials say the fines are intended to pressure migrants into voluntarily leaving the country rather than remaining in the United States illegally, USA Today reports.
“Our message is clear: Illegal aliens in the country illegally should leave now or face consequences,” a DHS official told the outlet.
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Homeland Security published the proposed fee increase in the Federal Register on May 20 and is accepting public comments on the policy through June 22.
Congress directed DHS last year to begin imposing the fines.
Federal officials are now proposing to increase the penalties from $5,130 to approximately $18,000 per migrant after calculating estimated government costs tied to locating, arresting, detaining, and deporting an individual, said the outlet.
DHS has already increased several other immigration-related penalties in recent years, including fines for illegally crossing the border, ignoring deportation orders, and failing to depart the country after making commitments to an immigration judge.
Federal officials told USA Today that the government issued roughly $36 billion in fines to approximately 65,000 individuals between Jan. 20, 2025, and March 18 of this year.
Officials did not immediately disclose how many recipients had actually paid the penalties, which averaged roughly $553,000 per person.
The proposed fines would apply to individuals ordered removed “in absentia,” meaning they received final deportation orders after failing to appear for immigration court hearings.
Last year, immigration judges issued more than 300,000 in absentia removal orders, and roughly 23,670 of those individuals were later detained and placed into deportation proceedings.
Those potentially subject to the new penalties include migrants who initially entered the United States legally but overstayed student or tourist visas, as well as individuals who entered under asylum claims but were later ordered removed after their cases were denied.
Advocacy groups for immigrants argue that the new policy is part of a deliberate effort by the Trump administration to criminalize nearly all migrants in the United States, including those who came lawfully under previous presidential administrations.
“Putting this fine or bounty on people’s heads makes it feel even more like they’re a fugitive from justice,” Sarah Mehta, deputy director of policy and government affairs for the American Civil Liberties Union’s equality division, told the outlet.
“Overall, the goal is to terrify people and make them feel they have to leave as soon as they can,” she added.
Mehta urged the White House to work with Congress on creating a legal pathway for migrants seeking permanent residency in the United States.
She argued that many of the individuals potentially affected by the proposed fines fled what she described as “horrific” violence and persecution in their home countries.
The proposed fee increase comes as the Trump administration intensifies arrests of migrants appearing for immigration court proceedings.
White House officials have acknowledged that the enforcement push has contributed to lower court attendance rates. Under federal immigration law, individuals facing deportation are generally allowed to remain in the United States while their cases are pending.
However, if a person misses even a single court hearing, an immigration judge can issue an immediate removal order in absentia.
One of the main issues President Trump ran and won on was mass deportations of the estimated 15-20 million people in the U.S. illegally.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
