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The Biden administration will forgive all fines given to illegal immigrants who defied court-issued deportation orders.
The Biden administration will forgive all fines given to illegal immigrants who defied court-issued deportation orders. Getty Images
Migrants, mostly from Honduras, walk towards a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint near Mission, Texas on March 23, 2021.
Migrants, mostly from Honduras, walk towards a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint near Mission, Texas on March 23, 2021. Getty Images
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Migrants wait to board a U.S. Customs and Border Protection bus to a processing center in La Joya, Texas on April 13, 2021.
Migrants wait to board a U.S. Customs and Border Protection bus to a processing center in La Joya, Texas on April 13, 2021. Getty Images
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Overstay? No need to pay.

The Biden administration is easing up on scofflaw illegal immigrants by pulling the plug on President Trump’s program to fine them for defying court-issued deportation orders — and forgiving all the debts racked up under the policy.

“We can enforce our immigration laws without resorting to ineffective and unnecessary punitive measures,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Friday.

Under a Trump-issued January 2017 executive order, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued steep fines to non-citizens who refused to leave the country when ordered to do so.

Penalties started at $3,000 and could mount by up to $500 a day — in one case adding up to a staggering $497,777, NPR reported in 2019.

But the agency was unable to collect on most of the bills, CNN reported, only recouping about 1 percent of the fines issued.

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Under a former President Donald Trump’s administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued high fines to illegal immigrants who refused to leave the country.
Under a former President Donald Trump’s administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued high fines to illegal immigrants who refused to leave the country. Getty Images
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement only recouped about 1 percent of its fine on illegal immigrants, according to CNN.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement only recouped about 1 percent of its fine on illegal immigrants, according to CNN. Getty Images
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The Department of Homeland Security stopped issuing penalties in January, the agency said — and added that it “intends to work with the Department of Treasury to cancel the existing debts of those who had been fined.”


  The Department of Homeland Security stopped issuing penalties on illegal immigrants in January, according to the DHS. Getty Images The Department of Homeland Security stopped issuing penalties on illegal immigrants in January, according to the DHS. Getty Images
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