Lawsuit challenges as much as $1.8 million in fines imposed on immigrants by Trump admin

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A lawsuit was filed Thursday in opposition to the federal authorities on behalf of immigrants facing fines reaching as much as $1.8 million every for staying within the U.S. illegally.

Every day penalties of $998 have been levied in opposition to greater than 21,500 immigrants, whose legal professionals say they have been trying to adjust to federal immigration legal guidelines. The fines have been applied to encourage immigrants to depart the nation.

The legal professionals stated their purchasers have been slapped with "ruinous civil fines" which are "grossly disproportionate to the gravity" of any immigration violations, arguing that the fines are unconstitutional.

The lawsuit, filed in Massachusetts on behalf of two immigrant ladies, seeks class-action standing to signify individuals going through fines that legal professionals say have totaled greater than $6 billion underneath President Donald Trump's mass deportation insurance policies.

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A lawsuit was filed in opposition to the federal authorities on behalf of immigrants going through fines reaching as much as $1.8 million for remaining within the U.S. illegally. (Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Photographs)

"The individuals we serve are doing precisely what the legislation requires — pursuing authorized aid by way of immigration courts and immigration businesses," Hasan Shafiqullah, a supervising legal professional with The Authorized Assist Society, one of many teams representing the immigrants, stated in a information launch. "In return, the federal government is threatening to grab their wages, automobiles, even their houses."

One of many two plaintiffs, a lady residing in Florida who was recognized within the grievance solely as Nancy M. to guard her from retribution, was instructed to depart the U.S., but in addition had an "order of supervision" and was assembly yearly with immigration officers as she tried to turn into a authorized everlasting resident.

Regardless of this, she acquired a invoice earlier this yr for about $1.8 million, which gave the impression to be reached by way of day by day $998 fines for the previous 5 years.

<source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/08/672/378/trump-intel-10-percent-purchase-8-26-25-fox-news-002.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/08/1344/756/trump-intel-10-percent-purchase-8-26-25-fox-news-002.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="378" width="672"><source media="(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/08/931/523/trump-intel-10-percent-purchase-8-26-25-fox-news-002.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/08/1862/1046/trump-intel-10-percent-purchase-8-26-25-fox-news-002.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="523" width="931"> The legal professionals stated their purchasers have been slapped with "ruinous civil fines" which are "grossly disproportionate to the gravity" of any immigration violations. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Photographs)

The Department of Homeland Security purported that the lawsuit was "simply one other try and nullify federal immigration legislation by way of activist litigation."

"The plaintiffs on this case are right here illegally and are suing to allow them to stay within the nation illegally with none consequence or penalty – opposite to decades-old federal legislation," DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin stated in an announcement.

Shortly after Trump returned to the White Home in January, his administration revealed a sequence of strikes to encourage immigrants to depart the nation, together with DHS' announcement in February that unlawful immigrants may face "vital monetary penalty" in the event that they select to not self-deport.

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The Division of Homeland Safety purported that the lawsuit was "simply one other try and nullify federal immigration legislation by way of activist litigation." (AP Photograph/Mark Schiefelbein)

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Trump and Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem "have a transparent message for these in our nation illegally: depart now," McLaughlin stated in February.

"The Trump administration will implement all our immigration legal guidelines — we is not going to choose and select which legal guidelines we'll implement," she added on the time.