Trump Administration Fines 4,500 Migrants Up to $1.8 Million Totaling $500 Million

U.S. immigration authorities, under a Trump administration policy, have begun issuing substantial fines to illegal immigrants who fail to leave the country after deportation orders, with penalties reaching as high as $1.8 million. This approach aims to encourage voluntary departure, or 'self-deportation,' and has affected over 4,500 migrants with fines totaling more than $500 million. Wendy Ortiz, a Salvadoran migrant working a low-wage job in Pennsylvania and mother to a U.S.-citizen child, expressed distress over her $1.8 million fine, highlighting the financial impossibility of paying such penalties. The fines accrue at a rate of $998 per day and can be applied retroactively for up to five years, with potential property seizures for those unable to pay, though collection methods remain unclear. Legal challenges have emerged, with attorneys contesting the fines on procedural grounds, such as lack of proper notification. Critics note the policy's harsh impact on vulnerable immigrants, especially those who fled violence and have limited means to comply with the fines.