Trump Admin Moves To Hit Illegal Immigrants With Instant, Massive Fines

The Trump administration says it’s done warning illegal immigrants who defy deportation orders before issuing steep fines.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) published a rule on Friday that eliminates the 30-day notice period before fines can be issued to illegal immigrants who fail to comply with removal orders. Under the new rule, penalties of up to $998 per day can begin accumulating immediately for non-compliant illegal immigrants.

“The law doesn’t enforce itself; there must be consequences for breaking it,” Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “President Trump and Secretary Noem are standing up for law and order and making our government more effective and efficient at enforcing the American people’s immigration laws.”

The fines range from $100 to $500 per illegal entry or attempted entry, up to $9,970 for failing to depart when ordered, and a maximum of $998 per day for those defying voluntary departure rulings. The fines were implemented under the first Trump administration but were later revoked by the Biden administration, which described the penalties as “unnecessary.”

To incentivize illegal immigrants to depart the country voluntarily, the Trump administration also began offering free flights back to their home country, along with $1,000 stipends and forgiveness of any fines related to previous deportation orders.

“Financial penalties like these are just one more reason why illegal aliens should use CBP Home to self-deport now before it’s too late,” McLaughlin said

The rule reflects a broader shift by the Trump administration to reinstate tougher immigration enforcement mechanisms that were weakened or dismantled during the Biden administration. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is now averaging over 1,600 daily arrests, though some immigration hardliners in the administration have called for 3,000 arrests per day.

In addition to ramped-up deportations, the Trump administration’s tougher immigration policies appear to be having a deterrent effect on illegal immigration.

The Trump administration set a new record for the all-time lowest number of border encounters in a single month in March, reporting approximately 7,180 crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border. In May, the administration announced that not a single migrant was released into the country

In contrast, around 62,000 migrants were released into the country in May 2024, while the average monthly border crossings during the Biden administration were roughly 155,000, according to Customs and Border Protection.