Migrants Who Self-Deport Will Not Face Daily Fines, DHS Says

Migrants who voluntarily self-deport won’t face daily fines, while those who stay will face fees of up to $1,000 per day, the Department of Homeland Security announced.

The message is aimed at migrants with final deportation orders who self-deport through the CBP Home app. They will receive forgiveness of any civil fines or penalties for failing to depart the U.S. earlier, according to Border Report.

“If you are here illegally, use the CBP Home app to take control of your departure and receive financial support to return home,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said. “If you don’t, you will be subjected to fines, arrest, deportation and will never be allowed to return. If you are in this country illegally, self-deport now and preserve your opportunity to potentially return the legal, right way.”

Last month, DHS announced that those who declare they are leaving the country via the CBP Home app can receive free airfare and up to $1,000 stipend once they return to their home country. DHS appears to have added waiving of fines as even more incentive as the agency seeks to remove more undocumented immigrants as a priority goal of the Trump administration.

According to News Nation, DHS has added over 9,000 fines, totaling over $3 billion, to migrants who have not left the country yet.

In a May 20 statement provided to CBS News in response to the fine, an ICE spokesperson said that undocumented immigrants “who violate the nation’s immigration laws and fail to comply with a removal order issued by a Department of Justice Immigration Judge will face legal consequences, such as fines or imprisonment. The best option is to comply with the law and leave the United States.”