The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued over 100,000 civil fines totaling approximately $84 billion to individuals in the country illegally under the Trump administration, collecting more than $1.2 billion in payments. The fines were levied against illegal immigrants subject to final removal orders.
Since President Donald Trump's return to office, DHS issued 103,000 civil fines amounting to roughly $84 billion. As of July, the agency had collected about $1.2 billion from these fines. The administration began fining illegal immigrants subject to final removal orders $998 per day if they failed to voluntarily leave the United States or comply with their removal orders. These fines are required to be paid before deportation, and DHS has stated that assets may be seized from those who do not pay.
The DHS has promoted a program encouraging voluntary departure, arguing it costs less than traditional deportation proceedings. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection flyer outlined the "benefits" and "consequences" for illegal immigrants who self-deport using the CBP Home app. According to the flyer, self-deportation is presented as safe, allowing individuals to "leave on your own terms by picking your departure flight." Non-criminal illegal immigrants who voluntarily leave may be permitted to keep money earned in the U.S. and maintain eligibility for future legal immigration. Some may also qualify for subsidized flights if unable to afford travel home.
Conversely, the flyer warns that individuals who do not self-deport will be "apprehended by DHS with no opportunity to get your affairs in order beforehand." According to DHS figures from May, over 3 million individuals who were in the U.S. illegally left the country during Trump's first year back in office, with an estimated 2.2 million of those self-deporting. The department also reported that the administration had deported nearly 900,000 individuals and arrested more than 900,000 others by May 17. These figures, according to DHS, indicate that the administration's immigration enforcement measures have reshaped migration patterns.