Federal Judge George O'Toole in Boston has blocked the Trump administration's practice of imposing up to $1.8 million in fines on migrants who fail to leave the country after receiving final deportation orders, citing violations of federal law and potential insolvency for recipients. The ruling was granted as preliminary relief in a class-action lawsuit filed against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which had issued more than 103,000 fines totaling about $84 billion since January 2025. DHS previously defended these penalties, stating they could impose up to $998 per day for non-compliance with deportation orders.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration's attempts to fine migrants up to $1.8 million for failing to leave the country after receiving final deportation orders.
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judge → block → orders
U.S. District Judge George O'Toole in Boston issued the ruling on Monday in response to a class-action lawsuit filed last year by two of the thousands of migrants who have received civil penalties from the Department of Homeland Security.
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who → issue → Security
The judge granted preliminary relief to the plaintiffs, finding that the administration's process for imposing the fines violated federal law, and that migrants in the "economically precarious position" of addressing the fines could be pushed into "insolvency."
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migrants → grant → insolvency
"The plaintiffs live in an economically precarious position even without the imposition of the government’s exorbitant fines," he wrote.
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he → live → fines
"They face the possible garnishment of their already modest wages, loss of any vehicles and homes, federal collections lawsuits and other adverse collateral consequences," O’Toole added.
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O’Toole → face → vehicles
"If they were ultimately successful in this suit, there is no indication that simply requiring the government to vacate their fine notices would –– or even could, at that point –– make the plaintiffs whole or return the circumstances to the status quo."
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plaintiffs → be → quo
O’Toole, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, described how the plaintiffs worked for low salaries and had come to the U.S. to escape political violence.
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plaintiffs → describe → violence
"Nancy M. was fined over $1.8 million," O’Toole wrote, referring to one of the plaintiffs.
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O’Toole → fin → plaintiffs
"She is a laborer working over 60 hours a week with two jobs, and she reports feeling serious anxiety affecting her ability to sleep, eat and live a normal life."
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she → work → life
The judge also found that the administration's fine notices violated the Administrative Procedure Act by failing to provide specific allegations explaining why an individual's conduct warranted a penalty.
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conduct → find → penalty
Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for comment.
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Digital → reach → comment
As recently as July, DHS said it had issued more than 103,000 fines to migrants totaling about $84 billion since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.
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Trump → say → January
DHS has defended the penalties, saying people who refuse to leave the country after receiving a final order of removal could face fines of $998 per day.
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who → defend → day
Although Congress authorized civil penalties under the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, no administration had attempted to impose the fines until Trump's first term.
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administration → authorize → term
Last year, the Trump administration began imposing fines of $998 per day for migrants who did not leave the country following a final order of deportation.
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who → begin → deportation
The fines have been imposed retroactively for up to five years, with a maximum penalty of $1.8 million.
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fines → impose → million
In July 2025, DHS and the Department of Justice implemented changes aimed at streamlining the assessment of fines by scrapping a 30-day notice period and shortening the process for challenging penalties.
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DHS → implement → penalties
The plaintiffs successfully challenged that policy and what they described as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement policy of issuing fines using boilerplate forms without independently assessing whether a person's failure to leave was "willful" or "voluntary."
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failure → challenge → forms
O’Toole also found that the administration had failed to comply with rulemaking processes in implementing its streamlined fine-imposition process because it did not offer the public a chance to first comment on the policy change.
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it → find → change
Congressional lawmakers have attempted to challenge the administration’s fines against migrants through the Immigration and Nationality Act.
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lawmakers → attempt → Act
Sens. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., urged DHS and DOJ to pause the "improper application of certain civil penalties" in the law to "law-abiding immigrants."
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Padilla → urge → immigrants
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Reuters → contribute → report
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