Reports indicate that the Trump administration has started prosecuting individual undocumented immigrants who disregard removal orders and refuse to return home voluntarily.
Marta Alicia Ramirez Veliz is pursuing a lawsuit for $941,114 plus interest against undocumented immigrants in Virginia who remain in the state, despite her immigration application supposedly being denied by the Justice Department’s appeals panel in 2022.
According to the filing, Bellis has not paid a fine of $998 per day for 943 days since being ordered to leave. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued an official notice regarding the accumulated fine in April.
Bellis is described as “an individual and non-citizen residing in Chesterfield County, Virginia,” but there are no specifics about nationality.
Similar cases have been initiated by the Justice Department against immigrants in other regions as well.
In Florida, a man was sued for $717,000 for failing to pay a fine after a deportation order, and similar legal actions are occurring against immigrants in Texas and California.
A law signed by Bill Clinton in 1996 allows federal authorities to impose civil penalties on undocumented immigrants who do not voluntarily leave after being informed of the denial of their immigration applications. This is the first time legal action has been taken against those who do not pay fines and stay despite removal orders.
While Trump first implemented this approach during his first term, Biden discontinued it upon taking office in 2020. However, Trump reinstated it after his second term began.
As of June last year, federal agencies had sent around 10,000 penalty notices.
“The law does not enforce itself. There are always consequences for breaking the law,” noted DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin in June. “President Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Nomu aim to uphold law and order, facilitating more effective enforcement of immigration laws for American citizens.”
DHS mentioned that immigrants using Customs and Border Protection’s CBP Home app for self-deportation will be exempt from fines.
