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The second administration of Donald Trump has moved from warnings to widespread enforcement. The head of the Border Patrol, Michael Banks, announced that nearly all immigrants detained for illegal entry will have to pay a fine of $5,000, while the government promotes a "self-deportation" campaign offering free flights and $1,000 in cash to those who agree to leave the United States voluntarily.
The message strengthens and specifies measures that have been taking shape since October, when the U.S. Embassy in Mexico warned that a fine of $5,000 would be imposed on anyone crossing the southern border illegally, applicable to individuals over 14 years old caught entering without documentation, regardless of their nationality, as previously reported in a prior report on the new border fine.
How the $5,000 fine will work
According to Banks, the so-called $5,000 "apprehension fee" will apply to virtually all immigrants aged 14 and older who have entered without inspection, regardless of where they crossed, how long they have been in the country, or whether they have ongoing immigration processes.
This fee is part of the legislative package approved in July 2025, commonly referred to as the “big, beautiful bill”, which reworks the immigration fee system and allocates tens of billions of dollars for detentions, deportations, and border enforcement, as previously analyzed by CiberCuba while explaining how Trump's new law would fund mass detentions.
The United States Embassy had indicated that the sanction would be applied "at the time of arrest" and that its value could increase at the discretion of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in line with a "zero tolerance" policy that combines economic sanctions, expedited deportations, and criminal penalties for repeat offenders.
Fines of $998 per day: the other pillar of punishment
At the same time, the government is activating a legal authority that allows for civil fines of up to $998 per day to be imposed on individuals with a final deportation order who do not leave the country, with the possibility of applying the charges retroactively for up to five years, which could lead to potential debts of up to $1.8 million per person.
This extreme economic punishment logic has already struck hard at the Cuban community: CiberCuba has documented cases of a Cuban who received a fine notification of 690,000 dollars and another who faces a sanction exceeding 530,000 dollars for failing to leave the United States after a deportation order.
In practice, these charges turn irregular immigration into a sort of financial trap: those who choose to stay risk not only forced deportation but also accumulating an unpayable debt and the potential confiscation of their assets, impacting both individuals with limited resources and families who have managed to buy homes or start small businesses in the United States.
The "offer" of $1,000 for self-deportation
The other component of the strategy is the self-deportation campaign: DHS launched a "Cyber Monday" style advertisement offering a free flight to the country of origin and a bonus of $1,000 for any undocumented immigrant who agrees to self-deport using the CBP Home app.
According to the Trump administration, this formula reduces arrest, detention, and deportation costs by more than 70%, which are estimated to exceed $17,000 per person, and would allow for the "clearing" of fines and civil penalties to keep the option of legal re-entry open in the future.
However, immigration lawyers have warned that accepting this offer could result in penalties of 5, 10, or 20 years without the possibility of return, or even a permanent ban on reentry, and that each case should be reviewed with legal counsel, as explained in the report about the Cuban who rejected Trump's $1,000 to self-deport and in the explanation about when and how those promised $1,000 will be paid.
For many Cubans, the dilemma is brutal: accepting self-deportation can mean losing the opportunity to benefit from the Cuban Adjustment Act or other normalization paths, while staying implies living under the threat of raids, daily fines that are nearly impossible to pay, and the constant shadow of deportation.
From the experiment to the "second phase" of the offensive
The novelty of the new note from Fox is that it is no longer just about laws and scattered announcements: the head of the Border Patrol is announcing the nearly universal application of the $5,000 fee, and the government is presenting the self-deportation campaign as a central policy, backed by effectiveness data at the border.
The administration estimates that the fiscal year 2025 ended with approximately 237,565 apprehensions at the border with Mexico, the lowest figure since 1970, and that it is on track to record around 600,000 deportations in the first year of Trump’s return to the White House. Meanwhile, over two million people are believed to have left the country through deportations and voluntary departures, as highlighted by official reports and analyses from American media.
These numbers align with what CiberCuba has already reported about the decline in irregular crossings and the closure of the border: illegal crossings at the southern border have dropped to their lowest level since 1970, with approximately 238,000 encounters in the fiscal year, according to a previous report on the historic decline in migration crossings.
What does it mean for Cubans in the United States?
For Cubans, the new scenario combines three pressures: a $5,000 fine for those who cross or have crossed without documents, the real risk of gigantic daily fines for those with final deportation orders, and the tempting yet dangerous offer of $1,000 to leave right now in exchange for potentially closing the door to a future return.
The coverage by CiberCuba has already highlighted the human impact of this offensive: Cubans receiving notifications with amounts exceeding half a million dollars, others announcing they will opt for self-deportation, and young people rejecting the $1,000, stating they will stay "until the end," as seen in the case of the Cuban who announced her decision to self-deport and in the story of the Cuban who rejected Trump's money.
In cities with a strong migrant presence, such as New Orleans and various areas of South Florida, streets are already showing signs of emptiness, businesses have fewer customers, and the community lives in fear of ICE raids, government letters, and the contradictory messages circulating on social media.
Between fear and resistance
The current phase of Trump's immigration policy combines two messages aimed at both the American public and the migrants themselves: on one hand, the promise of a "historically secure" border and record deportation numbers; on the other, the threat of financial ruin and the offer of an "orderly" exit for those who agree to self-deport.
For thousands of Cubans, the decision has become existential: to continue fighting for regularization despite fines and a climate of persecution, or to accept a return ticket and $1,000, which could mark the end of their life project in the United States. The battle is no longer fought solely at the border or in the courts, but also in the mind of every migrant who receives a letter, a notification on their phone, or a viral video reminding them that now, in addition, they may receive a bill for thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars for overstaying.
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