US Government Looks to Enforce Tough Immigration Rules with Daily Fines, Property Seizures

Washington (The Uttam Hindu): There are reports that the US is considering a plan to impose heavy fines on immigrants who do not leave the country despite deportation orders. According to a report by news agency Reuters, this move may be linked to former President Donald Trump's 'America First' policy and his tough stance on illegal immigration, under which the US government can take strict action against such people.

What is the plan?

According to documents reviewed by Reuters, under this plan, such migrants can be fined up to 998 US dollars (about Rs 83,000) per day. The worrying thing in the report is that if the migrants fail to leave the US by the stipulated time limit, their property can also be confiscated in case of not paying the fine. It is being told that a law of 1996 can be resorted to to implement this decision.

The fine could be in the millions of dollars.

A former senior official of Donald Trump's administration had earlier told Reuters on the condition of anonymity that the administration could consider applying this fine (retroactively) for a period of up to five years. If this plan is actually implemented, the total fine on many immigrants could exceed $ 1 million (about Rs 8.3 crore).

Government department's warning

In an earlier statement on the issue, US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin had advised illegal immigrants to either leave the country on their own (self-deport) or use a mobile app for this. McLaughlin had warned, "If they do not do this, they will have to face the consequences... they will have to pay a fine of $ 998 per day." According to the report, the department had also issued a warning of such a fine through a social media post on March 31 (possibly in previous years).

Trump's 'America First' agenda

It is known that former President Donald Trump had taken several tough steps against illegal immigrants during his tenure (2017-2021) following the policy of 'America First'. His administration not only sent thousands of immigrants back to their countries on special planes, but also increased surveillance on immigrants living in America. This proposed penalty policy can be considered a part of the same link. However, Joe Biden is currently the President of America, and it remains to be seen whether any such plan is implemented in the present or future.