Donald Trump's administration plans to fine migrants with deportation orders $998 per day if they fail to leave the United States and seize their property if they do not pay the fines, Reuters reports, reports News.bg.
The fines stem from a 1996 law that was first implemented in 2018. during President Trump's first term.
The administration plans to apply the sanctions retroactively for up to five years, which could result in fines of more than $1 million, a senior Trump official said on condition of anonymity.
The government is also considering seizing the assets of migrants who fail to pay their fines.
US Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said that illegal migrants in the US should use the mobile app, formerly known as CBP One - renamed CBP Home under Trump - to "self-deport and leave the country immediately".
"If they don't, there will be consequences," McLaughlin assured. "This includes a fine of $998 for each day the illegal immigrant fails to comply with the final order of removal."
The White House has been pressing U.S. Customs and Border Protection to address the issue of sanctions, property seizures for migrants who fail to pay, and the sale of their assets.
The Justice Department's Civil Asset Forfeiture Division could be another option for seizures.
President Donald Trump has taken a sweeping crackdown on immigration since taking office in January, testing the limits of U.S. law to increase arrests and deportations. The planned fines target about 1.4 million migrants who have been ordered deported by an immigration judge.