Trump Administration Eyes Imposing Daily $1,000 Fines To Migrants With Deportation Orders Who Fail To Leave

The Trump administration is warning undocumented immigrants it plans to begin imposing daily $998 fines to those who carry a deportation order and fail to leave the country.

It is the latest push by the Trump administration to achieve the "largest deportation operation" in American history. Reuters, which initially reported on the matter, cited documents adding that if they don't pay the fine their properties could be seized.

"Illegal aliens should use the CBP Home app to self-deport and leave the country now. If they don't, they will face the consequences. This includes a fine of $998 per day for every day that the illegal alien overstayed their final deportation order," a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement. "The safest option for illegal aliens is to self-deport."

The plan stems from a 1996 law that states that any immigrant subject to a "final order of removal" who "willfully fails or refuses" to leave the U.S. can face a civil penalty of "not more than $500" every day. The administration plans to apply the penalties retroactively to undocumented migrants for up to five years, resulting in fines of more than $1 million, an administration official told Reuters.

A flyer provided to Fox News Digital shows the "benefits" and "consequences" for undocumented immigrants who fail to self-report via de CBP Home App.

"Self-deportation is safe," the flyer reads. "Leave on your own terms by picking your departure flight."

By contrast, the "consequences" section of the flyer warns that those who fail to self-deport will be "apprehended by DHS with no opportunity to get your affairs in order beforehand."

Immigration advocacy group FWD.us estimates that some 10 million migrants with no legal status or temporary protections are living with U.S. citizens or permanent residents in what are known as "mixed status households."

The steep fines could particularly hit lower-income immigrants. An analysis of 2019 Census data by the non-partisan Migration Policy Institute found 26% of households with unauthorized immigrants had incomes below the federal poverty line.

It remains unclear how the administration will go about collecting the fines. The White House National Security Council and Stephen Miller, the deputy chief of staff for policy, have been pressing CBP to administer the fines and handle seizures, a CBP official wrote in a March 31 email reviewed by Reuters.

But a CBP memo a day later, also reviewed by Reuters, argued for ICE to take on the task instead. The memo said the CBP's systems do not currently support this type of immigration fine and that upgrading it could lead to significant costs and implementation delays.

The start date of the fines remains unclear as well. DHS did not comment on Miller's involvement or the technical aspects of implementing the penalties.