An undocumented woman resident in Florida received a fine of more than 1.82 million dollars, for not having abandoned the country after having received a deportation order 20 years ago. The notification, signed by the Customs Immigration and Control Service (ICE), explains that the figure is the sum of a 500 dollar penalty for each day that the woman remained in North American territory after that notice that they sent her in April 2005.
In total, this 43 -year -old Honduran, mother of three children, must pay $ 1,821,350, which is equivalent to 44 years and six months of work, without rest days in between, assuming that she will charge the $ 14 per hour that establishes the minimum wage of that state.
Michelle Sánchez, the immigration lawyer who represents the case, told CBS News that it is an application of the Immigration and Nationality Law, a legal statute of more than 70 years old that collects migratory regulations on visas, deportations and naturalization. The document indicates that undocumented people must register with the government and that, if not, they can face economic sanctions or prison sentences.
On the case, the lawyer said that she had presented a motion last year with the aim of eliminating the order sent in 2005, since she considers that her client has not had a criminal record for more than a decade, and meets the requirements to request a permanent residence. He also explained that, according to the notification that the fine contains, the Honduran migrant can challenge it if he personally appears in an ICE office, but that doing so could now be a risk and end in a deportation. In the event that they definitively expel it, the children of the migrant, American citizens, would suffer severe difficulties, said the lawyer.
Sánchez will appeal the sanction imposed on his client because he was never informed about the consequences he could face for not leaving the country. He also said that he has received similar cases, although none with such an exaggerated sum of money. “ICE is terrorizing people without even having to pick them up. They are terrifying them by sending notices where they impose exorbitant fines that sometimes do not even win in a lifetime,” he said about it.
Last April, the Trump administration announced its intention to fine migrants who do not leave the United States after receiving a final deportation order. According to the White House Advisor on border issues, Tom Homan, these people would be processed “aggressively”, with fines of $ 998 for each day that pass in the country after the notification. He also warned that breaching such orders could result in prosecution and confiscation of goods. “Put your affairs in order. If you are in the country without documents, collaborate with the ICE, access the CBP One Home and salt application on your own,” Homan said then.
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