US seeks to track deportees abroad to collect immigration fines

The Donald Trump administration is looking to contract a private firm to track down deportees and individuals who voluntarily left the United States abroad to collect outstanding immigration fines. The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency issued a federal hiring notice seeking a company capable of locating these individuals in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.

Once located, the company would be responsible for informing the individuals of their debt and arranging for full payment, a payment plan, or another resolution. Payments could be made by the immigrant or a third party. The firm would also need to provide evidence to US authorities that the correct person was found, potentially through photos of their residence, utility bills, or employment records. If the individual has died, a death certificate would be required.

CBP estimates that approximately 66,387 individuals who have been expelled or left the US voluntarily have pending civil fines. In total, the Department of Homeland Security estimated in July that $423 million in immigration fines remain unpaid. The Trump administration revived the collection of civil fines last year for various immigration violations, including failure to comply with an expulsion order. The daily penalty for such non-compliance, originally set at $500 in 1996, now amounts to $998 per day after inflation adjustments.