Overview

• Migrants under deportation orders face fines of $998 per day for failing to leave the U.S., with penalties potentially exceeding $1 million due to retroactive application for up to five years.
• The Trump administration is considering seizing property from migrants who do not pay the fines, adding an aggressive enforcement mechanism to the policy.
• The measures are rooted in a 1996 law previously enforced during Trump’s first term but rescinded under the Biden administration, now revived with heightened penalties.
• Internal government debates reveal uncertainty over whether Customs and Border Protection or Immigration and Customs Enforcement should administer the fines and asset seizures, citing logistical and resource challenges.
• Critics warn the policy disproportionately impacts low-income migrants and mixed-status households, with 26% of unauthorized immigrant families living below the poverty line.