Zippyjuan
07-02-2019, 01:38 PM
https://www.npr.org/2019/07/02/738059913/trump-administration-sends-out-notices-of-500-000-fines-for-those-in-u-s-illegal
Good luck trying to collect half a $million.
The Trump administration is seeking to fine some immigrants in the United States illegally hundreds of thousands of dollars for failing to take steps to leave after being ordered to do so, according to government documents obtained by NPR.
The Department of Homeland Security sent out a batch of notices across the country to targeted individuals ordering them to pay fines of up to nearly $500,000 for "failing to depart the U.S. as previously agreed," among other factors.
It's the latest hard-line effort by the administration as it clamps down on illegal immigration at the border and increases interior enforcement.
"It is the intention of ICE to order you pay a fine in the amount of $497,777," Lisa Hoechst, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, wrote to Edith Espinal Moreno in a letter dated June 25, 2019, obtained by NPR from lawyers for Moreno.
The letters come as the Trump administration prepares to carry out delayed immigration sweeps of migrant families who have received deportation orders. President Trump said Monday, while signing legislation providing $4.6 billion in funding to address the influx of migrants from Central America, that the immigration raids will begin after the July 4 holiday unless Congress can't pass new restrictions on asylum laws.
At the beginning of his term, Trump signed an executive order promising, "as soon as practicable, and by no later than one year after the date of this order," that the administration would begin collection of "all fines and penalties that the Secretary is authorized under the law to assess and collect from aliens unlawfully present in the United States."
ICE said the Immigration and Nationality Act grants the agency the right to impose "civil fines on aliens who have been ordered removed or granted voluntary departure and fail to depart the United States."
It states fines of no more than $500 for each day the person is in violation of this section. But immigration lawyers say they've never heard of it used in this manner.
An ICE official said immigrants in the U.S. illegally who willfully refuse to meet the obligations of an order issued by the Department of Justice's Executive Office for Immigration Review may receive a "Notice of Intention to Fine" and then are subsequently provided a 30-day period to respond to the notice before a formal decision whether to issue a fine is made.
ICE officials said the agency began issuing these notices in December 2018 on a case-by-case basis, taking into account steps the individual has taken to fulfill the court's orders.
"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 NPR.
Pro-immigrant advocates argue the Trump administration is trying to instill fear and confusion in immigrant communities, expecting the immigrants will leave. They report similar letters being received by immigrants in similar situations in North Carolina, Utah, Virginia and Texas.
more at link.
Good luck trying to collect half a $million.
The Trump administration is seeking to fine some immigrants in the United States illegally hundreds of thousands of dollars for failing to take steps to leave after being ordered to do so, according to government documents obtained by NPR.
The Department of Homeland Security sent out a batch of notices across the country to targeted individuals ordering them to pay fines of up to nearly $500,000 for "failing to depart the U.S. as previously agreed," among other factors.
It's the latest hard-line effort by the administration as it clamps down on illegal immigration at the border and increases interior enforcement.
"It is the intention of ICE to order you pay a fine in the amount of $497,777," Lisa Hoechst, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, wrote to Edith Espinal Moreno in a letter dated June 25, 2019, obtained by NPR from lawyers for Moreno.
The letters come as the Trump administration prepares to carry out delayed immigration sweeps of migrant families who have received deportation orders. President Trump said Monday, while signing legislation providing $4.6 billion in funding to address the influx of migrants from Central America, that the immigration raids will begin after the July 4 holiday unless Congress can't pass new restrictions on asylum laws.
At the beginning of his term, Trump signed an executive order promising, "as soon as practicable, and by no later than one year after the date of this order," that the administration would begin collection of "all fines and penalties that the Secretary is authorized under the law to assess and collect from aliens unlawfully present in the United States."
ICE said the Immigration and Nationality Act grants the agency the right to impose "civil fines on aliens who have been ordered removed or granted voluntary departure and fail to depart the United States."
It states fines of no more than $500 for each day the person is in violation of this section. But immigration lawyers say they've never heard of it used in this manner.
An ICE official said immigrants in the U.S. illegally who willfully refuse to meet the obligations of an order issued by the Department of Justice's Executive Office for Immigration Review may receive a "Notice of Intention to Fine" and then are subsequently provided a 30-day period to respond to the notice before a formal decision whether to issue a fine is made.
ICE officials said the agency began issuing these notices in December 2018 on a case-by-case basis, taking into account steps the individual has taken to fulfill the court's orders.
"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 NPR.
Pro-immigrant advocates argue the Trump administration is trying to instill fear and confusion in immigrant communities, expecting the immigrants will leave. They report similar letters being received by immigrants in similar situations in North Carolina, Utah, Virginia and Texas.
more at link.