The Trump administration is revisiting a controversial policy aimed at accelerating the self-deportation of illegal migrants by proposing daily fines of $998 for those who refuse to leave the country voluntarily. The policy could also include the confiscation of property if these fines go unpaid, a measure that draws on a 1996 immigration law. While the concept of fining illegal migrants isn’t new, this proposal has sparked a range of reactions, with some viewing it as a necessary tool to enforce immigration law, and others seeing it as an aggressive tactic that could lead to more hardship for vulnerable populations.
This new policy proposal echoes the actions taken by the Trump administration in 2018, when the government used the 1996 law to levy $60,000 fines on nine migrants who had sought sanctuary in churches. These actions, while limited, set a precedent for using financial penalties as a means of encouraging self-deportation. When Joe Biden took office in 2021, this policy was reversed
Stephen Miller, a key advisor during Trump’s first term, has reportedly been advocating for the reintroduction of these fines, claiming it could act as a deterrent to illegal migration and hasten the self-deportation process. According to reports, the proposal would also require the creation of new systems to enforce, track, and collect the fines, potentially leading to the hiring of additional paralegals and staff within Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
A detailed report from Reuters revealed that the policy would also require the expansion of operations within the CBP to track the fines and their payment status.
Reports have already suggested that some migrants are voluntarily choosing to leave, driven by the increasing pressure from enforcement agencies. Journalists like Alfredo Corchado have documented the rise of “self-deportation packages,” where coyotes—human traffickers who traditionally facilitate illegal entry—are now offering return trips for migrants wishing to leave the country. This suggests that some individuals may be willing to pay for a return to their home countries to avoid the threat of deportation.
Breitbart News reports:
Many communities across the country have already started seeing evidence of a dwindling illegal community. After making national news with an influx of thousands of illegals from Haiti, the town of Charleroi, Pennsylvania, is now seeing that community start to empty out with an as-yet small but noticeable drop in numbers, according to WESA radio.
The administration has also begun sending letters to migrants who benefited from Biden’s CHNV program informing them that their temporary status has come to an end and they are expected to return to their home nations.
While the policy is still in the early stages and lacks a clear timeline for implementation, it reflects the Trump administration’s commitment to enforcing immigration law and reinstating law and order. Critics argue that such policies may exacerbate the hardships faced by migrant communities, while proponents believe that such measures are necessary.
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Great news
Self Deportation is the best way to get rid of the illegal aliens.
Deportation by the Government is a logistics nightmare that is being blocked crooked liberal judges and Sanctuary City governments.
Biden and his corrupt Establishment Elite Cronies were getting rich off the wet backs of these foreign invaders.
They were encouraging them to come here by opening the boarders and giving them free benefits that Citizens are not.
Medical, schooling, housing, food, Social Security, and Welfare.