Key Takeaways
• ICE fined a Florida Honduran immigrant $1.82 million for 3,643 days overstaying a 2005 removal order.
• Recent changes now use rarely-applied 1952 and 1996 immigration laws to impose steep penalties retroactively.
• The woman’s three U.S. citizen children face hardships; legal appeals are underway but options are limited.
A 41-year-old undocumented immigrant from Honduras 🇭🇳, who has lived in Florida for over two decades, now faces an unprecedented $1.82 million fine from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The government says she violated an official removal order first issued in 2005. This penalty has brought new attention to the use of financial punishment against undocumented immigrants and highlights changing immigration enforcement strategies in the United States 🇺🇸.
Why the Fine Was Issued
The fine was set at $500 per day for each day this woman stayed in the United States after her removal order was issued. She has now been in the country 3,643 days since that order, which led ICE to charge her a total of $1,821,500. The official notice was delivered to her on May 9, 2025, by ICE’s civil fines department.
This action is based on the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952. While the law has allowed fines for unauthorized stay for a long time, it has rarely been used on such a scale. The reason for its recent use appears connected to shifts in federal immigration enforcement guidance.
The Woman’s Background
According to her lawyer, Michelle Sanchez, her client first came to the United States at a young age and settled in Florida. In 2005, she was given a removal order after not showing up for an immigration court hearing. Since then, she remained in the United States without documents.
During her stay in the country, she has had three children. All three were born in the United States 🇺🇸, so they are U.S. citizens. Her lawyer says she has kept a clean record and avoided any crimes.
In 2024, Sanchez tried to reopen the woman’s immigration case. She argued that her client had lived in the country for more than 10 years, had children who would face “extreme and exceptionally unusual hardships” if she were removed, and posed no threat to public safety. These are important parts of U.S. immigration law used to argue for a person to be allowed to stay, especially when it comes to keeping families together.
Changes in Immigration Policy
Under President Biden, ICE lawyers sometimes used what’s known as “prosecutorial discretion.” This approach let immigration authorities choose not to continue with removal orders in some special cases, such as people who had lived in the United States for a long time, parents of U.S. citizen children, or those with no criminal history. The goal was to focus more strongly on people who posed safety risks or had broken additional laws.
However, in March 2025, ICE told Sanchez that her client’s case couldn’t be reopened. ICE explained this was because the Trump administration had not given further guidance about using discretion in cases like this. As a result, Sanchez’s client remains under the original removal order, and the government has now moved forward with the huge fine.
Legal Basis for Fines
The government’s decision to fine this undocumented immigrant is tied to an older part of U.S. law. The 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act gives federal officials the authority to penalize people who refuse to leave after being ordered to do so. Although this law has existed for decades, it has mostly gone unused in the past.
Recent changes under President Trump have brought the issue to the forefront. In 1996, a law was passed that made maximum fines for failing to obey removal orders $998 per day. The administration has said it will apply these fines for as many as five previous years, which means that in some cases people could get bills even bigger than $1 million.
According to VisaVerge.com, using these laws for fines on undocumented immigrants marks a big shift in how the United States handles immigration problems. Rather than simply arresting and deporting people, ICE is adding hefty fines as a new type of penalty.
Enforcement and Impact
This move to issue massive fines is part of a much broader push by the government to clamp down even more on those living in the United States without legal status. This includes:
- Increasing military forces near the southern border
- Asking National Guard units to help stop border crossings
- Expanding space to hold undocumented immigrants in detention
- Looking for other ways to use existing laws, like the 1952 and 1996 acts, more aggressively
For the woman at the center of this case, the fine is only one of many problems. If she cannot pay, she could still face deportation. If she does pay—something her lawyer says is next to impossible—her family would suffer a huge financial blow.
Personal and Family Impact
The woman’s three children are U.S. citizens and attend schools in Florida. It is not publicly known what jobs, if any, the woman currently holds. Her lawyer, Michelle Sanchez, has pointed out that making someone pay such a large sum of money could destroy that person’s financial future forever.
Sanchez argues the fine does not fit the crime and is far too much for any one person to afford. She worries that penalties of this size will push families apart, force children into hardship, and cause more fear in immigrant neighborhoods.
The case underlines how changes in immigration enforcement don’t just affect individuals. They can also have ripple effects on children, schools, and communities where undocumented immigrants have built their lives. When parents face huge fines or deportation, their children may lose their homes, their friends, and support networks.
Broader Enforcement Trends
This case is only one example of a larger effort across the United States 🇺🇸 to toughen immigration enforcement. Since 2025, the government has:
- Put in more troops near border crossings
- Sought help from local law enforcement and state National Guard units
- Pushed for bigger budgets to build new facilities to hold undocumented immigrants
The Trump administration’s decision to apply the fine retroactively means many more people could receive similar notices. Some could face fines even larger than the $1.82 million charged in this particular case.
The administration says these steps are needed to discourage more illegal entry and to hold those who break immigration laws accountable.
Debate Over Fairness
Not everyone agrees with the new approach. Immigrant rights groups and lawyers argue that these fines are unreasonable. Michelle Sanchez has accused ICE of being “terrorizing” by sending large bills to families and said it amounts to psychological pressure.
In her words: “ICE is terrorizing individuals without even having to go pick them up… 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.”
Proponents of strict enforcement say it’s important to stick to rules and make sure everyone follows the law. They believe fines are a fair way to make sure people don’t ignore removal orders.
But those fighting for more lenient policies warn that harsh penalties rarely solve the deeper problems behind immigration. They say this approach fails to fix the backlog in the immigration system and can result in “extreme and exceptionally unusual hardships,” especially for children born in the United States.
What Happens Next?
For the woman in this story, the path forward is still unclear. Her lawyer continues to work on reopening her immigration case, hoping that the government will reconsider the removal order in light of her long U.S. residence, clean record, and deep ties to her children.
Without an official adjustment, ICE may still attempt to remove her from the country or try to collect the fine. What remains uncertain is whether the government will keep pushing for fines in future cases and how courts will respond.
Are There Options to Challenge the Fine?
Anyone who receives a fine after a removal order does have the right to contest it. This usually means asking for a hearing before an immigration judge or trying to win discretionary relief, such as reopening a case due to hardship on U.S. citizen children.
Applicants must act fast. Deadlines for appeals or requests to change an order are usually very short. Lawyers like Michelle Sanchez often argue that the law should make room for exceptions in cases where children or communities could be harmed.
Appealing these cases is difficult and often costly. People hoping to get relief need good legal help.
The Role of ICE in Current Immigration Enforcement
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is the main government agency that carries out removal orders and imposes fines. ICE officers have some freedom in deciding when and how to enforce these rules, but their choices are shaped by whoever is in the White House and the policies they put in place.
During President Biden’s time in office, ICE was more likely to use its power to stop or slow removals in special cases, especially involving long-term residents or parents of U.S. citizen children. Under President Trump, however, the agency has taken a harder stance and used its legal authority to issue large fines and refuse requests to reopen cases.
Undocumented immigrants now face the real risk of both financial punishment and forced separation from their children. As seen on the official ICE website, the agency provides details about these fines and how they are enforced, giving the public access to the most current information available.
A Divided Policy Landscape
This story shows that U.S. immigration policy can change very quickly depending on administration priorities. What was seen as a low priority a few years ago may become the main focus today.
Some policy experts worry this back-and-forth approach makes it harder for families, immigrants, and even law enforcement officers to know what to expect. Changes in policy can mean shifts in how removal orders are handled, who gets fined, and how soon money must be paid.
Community Response and Advocacy
News of the $1.82 million fine has sparked anger and fear among many immigrant communities around Florida and across the country. Community groups say these heavy penalties add to the anxiety that many undocumented immigrants already feel.
Advocates have begun to call for more clear rules that allow for fair treatment of people who have strong ties to the United States. Some are asking for reforms to give parents of U.S. citizen children a second look before fines or removals are allowed.
At the same time, opinions remain divided. Some Americans believe that strict deportation and heavy fines are the best way to uphold immigration laws. Others worry about the humanitarian cost.
Summary and What to Watch For
This case of a $1.82 million fine for an undocumented immigrant in Florida shows how U.S. authorities now use both removal orders and very serious fines in their push to enforce immigration laws. The approach places families at the center of a national debate about who deserves to stay and what penalties are fair.
Key points for anyone following or affected by such actions:
– Large fines for ignoring removal orders have become a new tool for ICE
– Legal help is critical for challenging such fines or seeking relief
– The consequences of these penalties go far beyond any single person and can deeply affect children and whole communities
For immigrants, families, and advocates alike, it’s important to follow official guidance. The ICE website offers updates about fines and removal orders, as well as details on legal rights and responsibilities.
VisaVerge.com’s investigation reveals that as enforcement strategies continue to change, the impacts will be felt by not only those at risk of removal but also by communities, schools, and America’s sense of justice itself. As the country debates what fair immigration should look like, many lives—like the woman in Florida—hang in the balance.
Learn Today
Removal Order → An official directive requiring a non-citizen to leave the United States by a certain date.
ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) → A federal agency responsible for enforcing immigration laws and removing individuals without legal status.
Prosecutorial Discretion → The authority of immigration officials to decide whether or not to pursue enforcement actions in certain cases.
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 → A major U.S. law forming the basis for current immigration procedures, including fines for ignoring removal orders.
Civil Fine → A financial penalty imposed by a government agency for violations of laws such as unauthorized stay after a removal order.
This Article in a Nutshell
A Honduran immigrant living in Florida for over 20 years received a record $1.82 million fine from ICE after ignoring a 2005 removal order. The penalty sparks national debate on financial punishment for undocumented immigrants and highlights shifting U.S. immigration enforcement strategies, affecting families, communities, and the broader immigration policy landscape.
— By VisaVerge.com
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