Trump Administration Files $1 Million Lawsuit Against Immigrant in Virginia
The administration of President Donald Trump has initiated a federal lawsuit seeking nearly $1 million from an immigrant who remained in the United States despite a final order of removal. This legal action represents a significant escalation in the administration's comprehensive strategy to compel undocumented immigrants to depart the country through the imposition of substantial financial penalties.
Details of the Landmark Legal Case
The Department of Justice has filed suit against Marta Alicia Ramirez Veliz, who is allegedly residing in Chesterfield County, Virginia without legal authorisation. The lawsuit demands a civil penalty of $941,114 plus accrued interest, calculated at $998 for each day between the dismissal of her immigration appeal in 2022 and her notification of the fine in April of this year.
According to court documents, Ramirez Veliz received a removal order from an immigration judge in 2019, which became final after the Board of Immigration Appeals dismissed her appeal in 2022. Government lawyers state she was served with a notice of the impending fine in April but failed to file an appeal within the mandatory 30-day window.
"Defendant has not paid any of the penalty and remains liable to the United States for the full penalty amount plus statutory additions," officials stated in the legal filing.
Unprecedented Financial Penalties
Legal experts have expressed astonishment at the scale of the financial penalty, describing it as potentially the largest of its kind ever recorded in immigration enforcement history. Charles Moore, an attorney with the public interest law group Public Justice, told Politico: "That does sound like the largest number we have heard when we were tracking this. We know that the amounts were as low as $3,000 and as high as several hundred thousand but, no, we hadn't heard of anything close to $1 million."
This case forms part of a much broader enforcement initiative. According to previous reporting by The Independent, the Trump administration had issued approximately 21,500 fines totalling more than $6 billion to immigrants who allegedly disregarded orders to leave the country as of this summer.
Broader Enforcement Strategy and Policy Context
The Republican administration implemented this new penalty system in June under authority granted by a 1996 immigration law. For most of the past three decades, such financial penalties have been rarely enforced, with officials traditionally prioritising physical removal over monetary sanctions.
A senior Department of Homeland Security official previously emphasised the administration's position: "The message from Secretary Kristi Noem is clear: if you're in the country illegally, leave now or face the consequences."
The administration has established a system whereby immigrants who choose to "self-deport" through the CBP Home app (formerly the Biden-era CBP One app) will not be required to pay imposed levies. Instead, they are offered cost-free travel, forgiveness of any failure-to-depart fines, and a $2,600 exit bonus to facilitate return to their home country or another nation where they have lawful status.
Criticism and Human Impact
This approach has attracted significant criticism from immigration advocates and legal experts. The American Immigration Lawyers Association has condemned Homeland Security's claim that people who "self-deport" will be allowed to return "legally," characterising it as "a deeply misleading and unethical trick." Immigrants with a deportation record typically face lengthy waiting periods or outright denials when applying for future visas.
The human impact of these policies is substantial. Undocumented immigrants subjected to these fines report increased stress and uncertainty. Early last year, a Honduran woman who had resided in the US for two decades was fined nearly $2 million for failing to leave despite receiving a removal order in 2005. The 41-year-old mother of three American citizens told CBS News: "I live with anxiety... I can't sleep... I don't feel."
Public Opinion and Political Context
Public opinion remains deeply divided regarding President Trump's immigration enforcement measures. The president has vowed to execute what he terms "the largest deportation operation" in American history. Recent polling reveals approximately half of voters support Trump's handling of the US-Mexico border, while 61 percent believe Immigration and Customs Enforcement tactics have gone too far, according to a New York Times survey.
Reuters polling indicates a record-low 39 percent of Americans approve of the president's handling of immigration matters, suggesting significant public ambivalence about the administration's approach even as enforcement actions intensify.
The lawsuit against Ramirez Veliz represents a notable escalation in the administration's use of financial penalties as a tool of immigration enforcement, setting a potentially precedent-setting figure that could influence future cases across the country.
