Trump Admin Fining Migrants Thousands to Recoup Deportation Costs
The United States Department of Homeland Security is preparing to impose major financial penalties on tens of thousands of migrants as part of President Donald Trump’s renewed push to enforce immigration law and recover costs tied to arrest, detention, and deportation.
Under the proposed policy, migrants could face fines of roughly $18,000 each. The penalties could also create additional complications for individuals seeking legal reentry into the United States in the future.
Homeland Security officials reportedly acknowledge that the federal government may not recover most of the money, especially given the economic conditions in many migrants’ countries of origin. Data cited from London-based analytics firm ISI Markets estimates Mexico’s annual per-capita household income at roughly $5,000.
But administration officials say the policy is not merely about collecting revenue. The White House argues the fines are designed to create real consequences for remaining in the United States illegally and to encourage migrants to leave voluntarily rather than continue violating immigration law.
“Our message is clear: Illegal aliens in the country illegally should leave now or face consequences,” a DHS official told the outlet.
Homeland Security published the proposed fee increase in the Federal Register on May 20 and is accepting public comments through June 22.
Congress directed DHS last year to begin imposing the fines. Federal officials are now proposing to raise the penalties from $5,130 to about $18,000 per migrant after calculating the estimated government costs of locating, arresting, detaining, and deporting an individual, according to USA Today.
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 leave the country after making commitments to an immigration judge.
Federal officials told USA Today that the government issued roughly $36 billion in fines to about 65,000 individuals between Jan. 20, 2025, and March 18 of this year. Officials did not immediately say how many people had 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. Roughly 23,670 of those individuals were later detained and placed into deportation proceedings.
The penalties could apply to a range of migrants, including those who originally entered the United States legally but overstayed student or tourist visas. They could also affect individuals who entered under asylum claims but were later ordered removed after their cases were denied.
Immigrant advocacy groups are attacking the proposal, claiming it is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to criminalize migrants, including some who initially entered under previous 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 called on the White House to work with Congress on a legal pathway for migrants seeking permanent residency, arguing that many of those potentially affected fled what she described as “horrific” violence and persecution in their home countries.
The Trump administration, however, has framed the issue as one of law, order, sovereignty, and accountability. Supporters of the policy argue that immigration rules mean little if there are no consequences for violating them, skipping court dates, or remaining in the country after a lawful removal order.
The proposed increase comes as the 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. But if a person misses even one hearing, an immigration judge can issue an immediate removal order in absentia.
President Trump campaigned heavily on restoring immigration enforcement and carrying out mass deportations of the estimated 15 to 20 million people in the country illegally. The new fine structure appears to be another part of that broader promise: make illegal immigration costly, enforce existing law, and reassert the federal government’s authority over America’s borders.