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Feds to fine immigrants $18K to recoup expenses
The policy would hit tens of thousands of migrants and could impose fines averaging about $998 per day, officials said.
The Trump administration is preparing to fine tens of thousands of migrants for the cost of arresting, detaining, and deporting them under a new policy aimed at discouraging illegal residency.
Federal officials are proposing to raise fines from $5,130 to $18,000 after assessing estimates to track down, arrest, detain, and deport a single person.
More than 23,000 people annually will face the new $18,000 fines, specifically those ordered "removed in absentia," meaning they received final deportation orders after missing court hearings.
Immigration advocacy groups say the policy aims to "terrify" people, while White House officials state the fines are intended to encourage migrants to voluntarily self-deport.
Last year, immigration judges ordered more than 300,000 removals, yet Department of Homeland Security officials acknowledge they will likely never collect most of the new $18,000 fines.