The Trump administration has begun issuing letters assessing fines of $998 per day for an individual’s failure to leave the United States after receiving an order of removal, regardless of whether the person is pursuing an alternate form of immigration relief or has a work permit or other permission to remain in the United States. On July 23, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that under a streamlined process, it has issued more than $84 billion in civil fines for failure to leave.
DHS has sent more than 100,000 such letters, which are accompanied by fliers explaining how to self-deport. The fines can add up to more than $1 million. In one case, the letter gave the recipient 15 days to contest the decision. But after filing an appeal, the letter recipient received a second letter threatening her credit and referral for collection litigation, and stating that her debt would be considered in any future immigration proceedings. Many such appeals have been denied, according to lawyers interviewed by the New York Times, including a 68-year-old man whose U.S. citizen wife has cancer and who had received DHS’s permission to remain in the United States after receiving an order of removal in 2012. His letter said he owed $579,838.
Advocates and attorneys for individual clients have filed several federal lawsuits to block the policy on due process and constitutional grounds.
