Trump administration sues illegal migrant for nearly $1 million

The Trump administration is demanding nearly $1 million from an illegal migrant who is refusing to follow through with a deportation order.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is imposing a $941,114 fee, plus accrued interest, on Marta Alicia Ramirez Veliz, an illegal migrant living in Chesterfield County, Virginia, for failing to leave the country pursuant to a final order of removal, according to court documents. The gigantic sum reflects the heavy-handed approach the White House has taken on foreign nationals flouting immigration law.

An immigration judge ordered the removal of Veliz in July 2019, according to court documents. The order was finalized after the Board of Immigration Appeals, the body responsible for reviewing immigration court decisions, dismissed her appeal in September 2022.

However, Veliz did not abide by the court order, prompting federal officials to serve her a fine notice on April 29, 2025, according to the DOJ. After failing to contest the penalty within 30 days of the notice, a final order imposing the fee was entered on June 25, 2025.

It’s not immediately clear from court documents where Veliz is originally from. Politico was the first to flag the eye-popping lawsuit.

“Defendant is indebted to the United States for a civil penalty assessed for willfully failing or refusing to leave the country during the period to do so,” the court documents stated, submitted by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The total principal amount of the civil penalty is $941,114.00, as of April 24, 2025.”

Prosecutors arrived at the amount by adding the $998 daily fines she was racking up since the Board of Immigration Appeals dismissed her appeal more than 940 days ago. The fee appears to be the largest amount under a new policy the Trump administration rolled out in 2025.

The DOJ and the Department of Homeland Security published a rule in June eliminating the 30-day notice period before fines can be issued to illegal immigrants who fail to comply with removal orders, immediately ushering in penalties of nearly $1,000 per day on non-compliant illegal immigrants. Such fines were originally implemented during the first Trump administration, but were later revoked by the Biden administration, which framed the penalties as “unnecessary.”

While doling out sticks to the illegal migrant population, the Trump administration has also offered up carrots.

The Trump administration, in May, began publicly enticing illegal migrants with a free flight and a $1,000 stipend if they choose to self-deport, an ostensible win-win for both parties, as the cost to arrest and forcibly repatriate an individual costs much more. The administration upped the ante in June by offering to forgive any fines imposed on them for failing to abide by their deportation order if they finally opt to leave.

The efforts appear to have yielded fruit for the Trump administration. While DHS had successfully deported roughly 622,000 illegal migrants during President Donald Trump’s first year back in office, another 1.9 million chose to self-deport during this same time.

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