US judge blocks Trump policy of fining migrants up to $1.8 million

A federal judge in Boston has halted the Trump administration's policy of imposing fines of up to $1.8 million on migrants who fail to leave the United States following deportation orders. US District Judge George O’Toole ruled that the fines were unlawful and would likely drive migrants into insolvency. The policy began under President Donald Trump's first term and saw the Department of Homeland Security issue over 103,000 fines totaling approximately $84 billion.

The fines, initially $998 per day, were retroactively imposed for up to five years. O’Toole found the administration's streamlined fine-imposition process failed to comply with rulemaking procedures and lacked specific allegations in the forms, violating the Administrative Procedure Act.