Trump govt to target deported migrants abroad over $423 million in unpaid fines, as immigration crackdown ramps up
The Donald Trump administration is taking its immigration crackdown beyond US borders, hiring private contractors to track down migrants who have already been deported and recover what the government says is $423 million in unpaid fines and fees.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) says the money is owed by more than 66,300 people who have been removed from the United States, according to government procurement records cited by Bloomberg.
Private firms to track deported migrants
CBP awarded two-year contracts to Global Recovery Group, The Baptiste Group, Caduceus Inc. and Response AI Solutions, with each agreement carrying a maximum value of $9 million, according to the report.
The contractors may use photographs of homes, utility bills, employment records and court documents to locate deportees and determine their ability to pay.
The overseas effort, however, raises questions about how the US can enforce debts against people who are no longer in the country. The procurement documents do not explain how the government could compel payment from deportees living abroad.
There is also a practical question over whether many of those targeted can afford to pay. Some deportees may have limited financial resources or lack access to a US bank account, which federal documents identify as one of the payment methods available for the fines.
How deportees accumulated the fines
The penalties are based in part on a provision of the 1996 immigration law that allows the government to impose daily fines on certain people who refuse to leave the US after being ordered to depart.
The authority was rarely used until Trump’s first term, when his administration began issuing large bills to immigrant families. The Joe Biden administration ended that effort in 2021, saying it had been ineffective and diverted resources from other enforcement priorities.
Trump has now revived the penalties on a much broader scale. Some migrants can face fines of nearly $1,000 a day for remaining in the US after receiving an order to leave, allowing penalties to accumulate into hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.
From Trump’s return to office on January 20, 2025, through July 16, 2026, Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued more than 103,000 civil fines totaling more than $84 billion, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The government had collected only about $1.2 million by July 16.
Unpaid fines could complicate future US plans
The administration has pursued unpaid penalties through lawsuits, tax-refund seizures and wage withholding. Some immigrants still fighting legal cases to remain in the US have received bills of $1 million or more, Bloomberg reported.
Some deportees are already receiving collection notices abroad. Juan Cuellar Torres, director of advocacy at the Kino Border Initiative, told Bloomberg that Mexican citizens deported this year had received letters at their addresses in Mexico.
The notices reportedly warned that interest could accrue and that unpaid debts could be considered in future US immigration proceedings. For deportees who later seek a US visa or permission to return, the outstanding debts could therefore become another immigration hurdle.
At the same time, the administration is offering incentives to migrants who leave voluntarily through the CBP Home app, including paid travel and cash payments in some cases. Homeland Security has also said certain outstanding fines may be forgiven.
