DHS Will No Longer Fine Illegal Aliens Who Refuse To Leave the Country
As part of its policy of reducing any legal entanglements that might arise from entering America illegally, the Biden administration announced Friday that it will no longer fine illegal immigrant scofflaws who fail to…

As part of its policy of reducing any legal entanglements that might arise from entering America illegally, the Biden administration announced Friday that it will no longer fine illegal immigrant scofflaws who fail to leave the country when ordered to do so.
Because fines were collected under the Trump administration, the Department of Homeland Security is also acting to have any debts canceled for illegal immigrants who owe the government money.
“There is no indication that these penalties promoted compliance with noncitizens’ departure obligations,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, according to a news release on the DHS website. “We can enforce our immigration laws without resorting to ineffective and unnecessary punitive measures.”
The release said that the action to end Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s authority to levy the fines came after a review by Mayorkas and Acting ICE Director Tae Johnson.
They decided the fines “were not effective and had not meaningfully advanced the interests of the agency.”
However, the release also noted that the fines were stopped as of Jan. 20, when the Biden administration came into office, and that the new policy simply formalizes what was already in place.
The release said that ICE will work with the Department of Treasury to cancel debts.
In its reporting on the new policy, CNN


