DHS issues $84 billion in fines to illegal immigrants under Trump

FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued more than 100,000 civil fines totaling roughly $84 billion to illegal immigrants under the Trump administration while collecting more than $1 billion in payments, Fox News Digital has learned.

Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House about 18 months ago, DHS has issued 103,000 civil fines totaling approximately $84 billion, a DHS official told Fox News Digital.

As of July, the agency had collected about $1.2 billion in fine payments.

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Shortly after Trump’s return to office, the administration announced it would begin fining illegal immigrants subject to final removal orders $998 per day if they failed to voluntarily leave the United States or otherwise comply with their removal orders. Illegal immigrants are required to pay the fines before they are deported, and DHS has said it may seize assets from those who fail to pay.

The Trump administration has unveiled a series of measures designed to encourage illegal immigrants to leave the country, including DHS’ announcement that those who refuse to self-deport could face “significant financial penalty.”

DHS has argued the program costs significantly less than traditional deportation proceedings and is designed to encourage illegal immigrants to voluntarily leave the United States.

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection released a flyer outlining the “benefits” and “consequences” for illegal immigrants who self-deport using the CBP Home app.

“Self-deportation is safe,” the flyer stated. “Leave on your own terms by picking your departure flight.”

According to DHS, non-criminal illegal immigrants who voluntarily leave the United States may keep money they earned while in the country and preserve eligibility to pursue legal immigration in the future. Some may also qualify for subsidized flights if they cannot afford travel home.

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Meanwhile, the flyer warns that those who fail to self-deport will be “apprehended by DHS with no opportunity to get your affairs in order beforehand.”

In May, Fox News Digital reported that more than 3 million illegal immigrants had left the United States during Trump’s first year back in office, according to figures provided by DHS. The department said an estimated 2.2 million of those migrants self-deported.

DHS also said the administration had deported nearly 900,000 illegal immigrants and arrested more than 900,000 others as of May 17.

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The department said the figures demonstrate that Trump’s immigration crackdown has reshaped migration patterns following a record number of illegal crossings during former President Joe Biden’s administration.

Fox News Digital’s Brittany Miller and Landon Mion contributed to this report.