A migrant received a deportation order 20 years ago, did not leave the United States and now receives a million-dollar fine

The Trump administration has been trying to expel immigrants from the United States en masse either by rounding them up or getting them to self-deport. One tactic that was deployed in Trump’s first term in office, slapping immigrants that fail to leave the country with hefty fines, has been rolled out again.

One Florida woman received a $1.82 million fine earlier this month for failing to leave the United States after she received an order to do so 20 years ago. The 41-year-old mother of three was fined $500 for every day since the removal order was issued.

Trump administration issues million-dollar fine to immigrant for not leaving the US

Last month the Trump administration floated the idea of enforcing once again a 1996 law that was used for the first time in 2018 that allows the government to levy penalties of up to $998 per day on those who fail to comply with removal orders. While those plans envisioned applying the fines retroactively up to five years, and could amount to over $1 million for around 1.4 million immigrants, the woman in Florida was hit with a fine covering the past 20 years of not complying with the court order against her.

The woman, who has not been named, is originally from Honduras and has three US citizen children was told to leave the US after failing to show up for a court hearing in 2005. Her lawyer, Michelle Sanchez, says that in her clients case the government is using the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act which also requires undocumented immigrants to register with the government, a law that has rarely been enforced since its conception.

Last year, Sanchez filed a petition to reopen her client’s case to have the removal order lifted. She argues that as the woman has lived in the US for over 10 years without a criminal record she is eligible to apply for US residency.

Furthermore, her children would be qualifying relatives and if she were deported they would suffer extreme and exceptionally unusual hardship.

Sanchez says that she has seen an increase in ICE issuing fines to her clients that have remained in the United States illegally. However, the colossal fine that this woman in particular has received is a first. She says that her client was never made aware of the consequences of not complying with the removal order.

“ICE is terrorizing individuals without even having to go pick them up,” Sanchez told CBS News. “They are terrorizing them by sending these notices where they are fining individuals an exorbitant amount of money that a person sometimes doesn’t even make that amount in their lifetime.”

“I welcome the orderly application of immigration law and I welcome CBP protecting us. But the laws have to be respected and if rights are trampled, there has to be consequences,” Sanchez added.

The Florida woman has been told that she can contest the fine and request a personal interview. She recommends that anyone that receives one of these orders contact an attorney before showing up to contest the fine.

“They’re going into the lion’s den,” said the lawyer.

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