A 40-year-old Cuban is facing an economic sanction of $534,928 imposed by the United States government for failing to voluntarily leave the country after being under a deportation order since February of last year.
The fine was notified to the migrant in July of this year by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as specified by Diario Las Américas.
The cited source revealed that the sanction is based on the violation of a voluntary departure order issued by an immigration judge.
The Cuban subject to the fine is from Campechuela, in the Granma province. In Cuba, he worked in independent fishing.
He arrived in the United States in March 2022 after traveling the so-called "route of the volcanoes." In Florida, he settled in Tampa and found a job as an assistant at a flooring installation company.
According to the migrant's wife as reported to the mentioned media outlet, upon arriving in the U.S., her husband received a Notice to Appear (NTA) to appear in immigration court in Orlando, 84 miles from their home.
Without legal counsel and lacking knowledge of the process, he did not attend the appointment, which resulted in a judge issuing his deportation in absentia in February 2024.
In August 2024, a legal motion to reopen the case was denied, leaving the Cuban migrant at risk of expedited deportation.
The fine and the regulatory change
Finally, on July 22 of this year, ICE notified him of the shocking financial penalty, resulting from a policy of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that, along with the Department of Justice, modified the procedure for imposing fines.
The new regulation eliminates the 30-day notice, allows for regular mail delivery, and drastically reduces the appeal deadlines.
Tricia McLaughlin, Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, defended the measure with this argument: “Laws do not enforce themselves; there must be consequences for disobeying them.”
He added that these penalties are another reason for migrants to use the CBP Home app and self-deport before it's too late.
"You must submit this Notice of Appeal within 15 business days… You may attach a written defense or documentary evidence.", details the notification received by the Cuban who has received the shocking fine.
In addition to the significant fine, the migrant and his wife -a Cuban with I220-A- fear detention and transfer to centers such as Baker County, Krome or Alligator Alcatraz.
An uncertain legal context
The case unfolds while judicial disputes over the scope of expedited deportations continue. In a recent ruling, federal judge Jia Cobb in Washington D.C. temporarily blocked their expansion, providing momentary relief to individuals under humanitarian statuses such as parole.
However, the U.S. administration continues to tighten measures, seeking what some analysts have interpreted as a negative net migration for the first time in five decades, combining deportations with punitive financial tools.
Cases show the emergence of a new category of migration exclusion: individuals with deportation orders and million-dollar fines, without an immediate possibility to adjust their status, work legally, or access migratory relief, but who are also not deported promptly.
Meanwhile, their future is at the mercy of a legal framework in which each day of delay can drastically change the outcome.
This is not the first Cuban to be heavily fined
This is not the first Cuban to receive an outrageous fine. In July, the case of another Cuban citizen was reported, who received a notification even worse: of 690,000 dollars, after remaining in the country despite having a final deportation order.
In that case, according to the account sent by the migrant to journalist Daniel Benítez, he had been living in the United States for 12 years. During the first five years, he lived with legal residency status. He was later convicted of a federal crime and sentenced to three years in prison.
During the last six months of that sentence, he was transferred to an immigration detention center of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with the intention of being deported. However, the Cuban government refused to accept him, which prevented the execution of the deportation.
Due to the inability to expel him, the authorities released him under a probationary regime, a situation that lasted for two years.
During that period, the citizen received a work permit for one year and had scheduled a migration appointment in December before receiving the notification of the fine.
Self-deportation: An option with benefits
As part of its immigration policy, the Donald Trump administration launched a supplementary program months ago that promotes voluntary self-deportation as the preferred option.
Through the CBP Home app, migrants with orders of departure who choose to leave the country voluntarily can benefit from:
-The total forgiveness of accumulated fines.
-A free airplane ticket to your country of origin.
An economic bonus of $1,000 dollars upon confirming their departure.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has made its message clear: those who do not cooperate with the process may face not only fines, but also arrest, forced deportation, and disqualification from returning legally to the U.S. in the future.
"With a free flight, a stipend of $1,000, and the forgiveness of fines, undocumented immigrants have no excuse for staying in the United States," the DHS stated in an official statement.
Filed under:
