The Trump administration has started notifying migrants who are not obeying deportation orders of its intention to impose hundreds of thousands of dollars in penalties on them, The Washington Post reports. The fines for evading deportation have reportedly been on the books for years, but have been rarely enforced. However, Immigration and Customs Enforcement sent out notices to migrants shortly after President Trump postponed widespread raids against migrants who were slated for deportation. The agency said those who disobeyed deportation orders could face a fine of up to $799 per day, and migrants who failed to leave after volunteering to do so could be fined up to $4,792. One woman in North Carolina told the Post ICE intended to fine her $300,000, and a Colorado immigrant said they could face a $500,000 fine.
Migrants have the opportunity to dispute the fines before they are issued, and also have the option of appealing them. How the administration will enforce the fines remains unclear, but any unpaid fines will reportedly go to the Department of the Treasury collections. “ICE is committed to using various enforcement methods—including arrest; detention; technological monitoring; and financial penalties—to enforce U.S. immigration law and maintain the integrity of legal orders issued by judges,” ICE spokesman Matthew Bourke told the newspaper in a statement.
Read it at The Washington Post>
SOURCE: The Daily Beast – Julia Arciga
BCNN1 WP 