The Legal Aid Society, Public Justice, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, the NYU Immigrant Rights Clinic, and the Free Migration Project filed a lawsuit on behalf of two immigrants facing civil fines of up to $1.82 million, and on behalf of the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. More than 21,500 people have been issued these fines since January 2025, for a total amount in excess of $6 billion.

Earlier this year, the Trump Administration revived a long-dormant provision of immigration law to issue daily fines of up to $998 per day, resulting in penalty notices that often exceed $1.82 million per person. These fines are imposed even when individuals are applying for immigration relief, such as adjustment of status, complying with ICE under orders of supervision, or unable to safely return to their home country.

The lawsuit seeks to vacate the rule that authorizes the mass issuance of civil fines, declare the penalties unlawful and unconstitutional, and permanently enjoin the government from assessing or collecting them.

“These fines are designed to terrorize families and force them into self-deportation, said Hasan Shafiqullah, Supervising Attorney in the Civil Law Reform Unit at Legal Aid. “The people we serve are doing exactly what the law requires — pursuing legal relief through immigration courts and immigration agencies. In return, the government is threatening to seize their wages, cars, even their homes.”