Judge Blocks Trump Migrant Fines of Up to $1.8 Million Over Deportation Orders
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Oct 7
Judge Blocks Trump Migrant Fines of Up to $1.8 Million Over Deportation Orders
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 7
Summary
U.S. District Judge George O'Toole granted preliminary relief blocking the Trump administration from enforcing migrant fines that could reach $1.8 million for failing to leave after final removal orders.
O'Toole said the process likely violated federal law and the Administrative Procedure Act because notices lacked specific allegations, used boilerplate forms and followed a streamlined system adopted without public comment.
The ruling also found the penalties could cause irreparable harm, citing risks of wage garnishment, asset loss and insolvency for migrants already in precarious financial conditions.
DHS said in July it had issued more than 103,000 fines totaling about $84 billion since Trump returned to office in January 2025, defending the policy as a $998-a-day penalty authorized by a 1996 law.
The case challenges a broader Trump-era effort to revive and accelerate civil immigration fines that no administration had enforced before Trump's first term.