Undocumented Honduran mother hit with astonishing punishment after being in US illegally for 20 years
An undocumented Honduran mother living in South Florida says she was hit with a staggering $1.82 million fine from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for failing to leave the country for two decades.
The 41-year-old mother-of-three, identified only as Maria, has lived in the US since 2005. Her original asylum case was denied, and she has been under a deportation order since 2020.
Maria said she was blindsided when she received a letter from ICE last month stating she owed $1,821,350 in civil penalties.
'They're charging me because I've been in this country illegally since 2005,' she told Telemundo 51 in Spanish. 'I have no way to pay for it. I was never notified about a fine and never received documents warning this was coming.'
'Ever since that day I live with anxiety. I can't sleep… I don't feel,' she added to CBS News Miami. 'I don't want to go back. It would be extremely painful to be separated from my children. This is their country, this is all they know. Please have mercy. I want to stay with them.'
Mariasaid she fled Honduras after her brother was killed by members of the violent MS-13 gang, and has since worked as a cleaner and caregiver while raising three American-born children.
According to her attorney, Michelle Sanchez, Maria never knew she had a deportation order in 2005, and the fine appears to stem from an obscure clause in the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act allowing ICE to issue $500-per-day fines to undocumented immigrants with final removal orders.
'She never knew she had a deportation order,' Sanchez told NBC 6 South Florida. 'She is seeking aggressively to fight this in court.'
'ICE is terrorizing individuals without even having to go pick them up,' Sanchez added to CBS News. 'They are terrorizing them by sending these notices where they are fining individuals an exorbitant amount of money that a person sometimes doesn't even make that amount in their lifetime.'
'She is a hard-working taxpayer. She has no arrest anywhere in the world,' Sanchez added.
The attorney filed a motion to reopen Maria's case, citing her long-term residence, her American-born children, and her clean legal history - but ICE denied the request.
The agency has not yet confirmed the legitimacy of the fine notice in response to media inquiries.
'This is all very scary and very concerning for a lot of people,' Sanchez said. 'This administration has stated there will be mass deportations, and they're not playing around. They're putting their plans in place.'
Maria's case has drawn attention as President Donald Trump ramps up deportation efforts during his second term, reviving and expanding hardline policies from his first presidency.
During a four-day operation in late April, ICE, in coordination with Florida law enforcement, arrested 780 undocumented migrants, highlighting the administration's aggressive approach to deportations and removals.
The administration's new initiative, Project Homecoming, offers undocumented immigrants $1,000 and a free flight to self-deport - a program officials say will save money and streamline removals.
The first flight carrying 64 migrants left earlier this month.
'This is about restoring order,' Trump said at a rally this month in Phoenix. 'If you're here illegally, it's time to go home - and we'll even pay for it.'
Those who refuse to leave may face wage garnishment, property seizures, and permanent reentry bans, according to the Financial Times.
In addition, Trump has proposed hiring 20,000 new ICE officers, tripling the size of the agency in what he calls the largest deportation operation in American history.
The Supreme Court just allowed the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 350,000 Venezuelans, even as legal battles continue - a move immigrant advocates warn could send lawful residents back into dangerous conditions.
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