The Trump administration plans to begin fining illegal immigrants subject to a deportation order $998 a day if they do not leave the United States.
“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,” Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Tuesday. “This includes a fine of $998 per day for every day that the illegal alien overstayed their final deportation order.”
Relying on a 1996 law that went unenforced until President Donald Trump’s first term in 2018, the administration now plans to apply penalties retroactively against illegal immigrants for up to five years—potentially resulting in fines exceeding $1 million, an administration official told Reuters, which first reported the development.
The flyer also outlines the potential penalties, including a $998-per-day fine for failing to comply with final removal orders, and an additional fine ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 for failing to self-deport after stating an intention to do so.
“If you fail to self-deport, you may be subject to jail time,” the flyer concludes, adding that illegal immigrants would also later be “prohibited from reentering the U.S. through the legal immigration system.”