US Hires Bounty Hunters to Track Deported Immigrants
A $9 million program launches to locate and photograph deported individuals' homes abroad.
1$9 Million Tracking Program
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has initiated a $9 million 'Tracing and Payment Recovery Services' program over two years to track deported immigrants. Private investigators will locate and photograph homes of deportees in Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala. Utility bills, court documents, and death certificates will be collected as evidence. The goal is to recover unpaid fines from immigrants.
2$998 Daily Penalties
A dormant provision of the 1996 immigration law was revived during Donald Trump's first term. Immigrants who fail to leave the US face daily fines of $998, accumulating up to $1.8 million over five years. As of July 2023, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has imposed these fines on 66,387 individuals.
3Third-Party Fee Inflation
Legal aid organizations report that some debt collectors add up to $500,000 in administrative fees atop government fines. A New York University study found that immigrants facing these penalties have had tax refunds seized, wages garnished, and credit scores ruined. Experts argue these tactics are designed to coerce 'self-deportation.'
4CBP Home App Loophole
Immigrants who voluntarily depart using the CBP Home app can have failure-to-depart fines waived. However, this exemption doesn't cover a separate $5,130 fee Congress established last year. Legal experts say this undermines the 'clean slate' promise for app users, who remain liable for this additional charge.
5Senators Demand Accountability
In July 2023, Senators Dick Durbin and Alex Padilla wrote to federal officials demanding an end to fines against law-abiding immigrants. Their letter questioned whether domestic violence survivors and trafficking victims were being penalized. No agency responded. Durbin called Trump-era fines 'arbitrary and potentially unlawful.'
6Payment Barriers
Collected penalties will fund Congress's 'Immigration Enforcement Account.' Payments can only be made via Pay.gov, which requires a US bank account. NYU's report notes mixed-status family members may feel pressured to pay fines, even if the deportee lacks funds. CBP states payments can be made by 'the individual or another party.'
7Lack of International Coordination
Governments of Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala didn't respond to queries about cooperating with US contractors. Three existing debt collectors failed to locate a single deportee abroad as of July 2023. Analysts suggest the program aims to deter future migration from targeted countries.
8Legal and Ethical Concerns
NYU's Alina Das calls fines against departed immigrants a 'significant escalation.' Public Justice's Charles Moore links this to Trump's anti-immigration agenda. Legal Aid's Hasan Shafiqullah questions the logic: 'If they lacked money here, why chase them abroad?' The program grants the government unlimited rights to reuse collected data.
Original article: Wired — ABD, Sınır Dışı Edilen Göçmenlerin Peşinde