The Trump administration is slapping a $5,000 “apprehension fee” on migrants without legal status, a top Border Patrol official announced.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks said the charge will apply to people apprehended after crossing the border between ports of entry, expanding the financial penalties tied to unauthorized entry.
The fee, he said, will be imposed on individuals age 14 and older who are taken into custody after entering the United States unlawfully. The fee stems from provisions contained in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which was passed by the GOP-controlled Congress earlier this year.
And since they cannot pay it will be collected by indentured servitude.
Fancy-Restaurant4136 on
So are they going to detain migrants until they have worked off their debt at prison wage rates?
CrimsonFeetofKali on
Which will lead to debtor’s prisons where people can work off their debt at marginal wages while paying exorbitant fees for housing, food, communication, etc. in prison, with the government selling such labor to the market, where the illegal immigrants were working in the first place. It’s a fucking racket. Take a look at the workers in a place like Dubai. Same game. It’s modern day slavery.
RavensQueen502 on
Yeah, because some fourteen year old immigrant is definitely going to have 5000 dollars at hand. How do they even try to make this practical?
Verum_Orbis on
How exactly are these people going to pay?
themightyklang on
Literally from the movie Brazil, this shit wasn’t supposed to be instructional
citizenjones on
The Trump Administration and Republican party has been turning immigration issues into a future captive labor force. Private prison stocks went up the day Trump was elected for a reason.
The two largest private prison companies we up significantly. GEO went up 41% and Corecivic 29% at the end of the last election.
The conservative party has no interest in deporting people in large numbers. They are interested in cheap labor.
Alu_sine on
Imagine this scenario: non-citizens in the U.S. will have their visas cancelled and assets seized. This idea would have been implausible a year ago, but each day steps are taken in this direction. There’s a lot wealth to be stolen from non-citizens and this administration knows it.
Muffled_Incinerator on
Forced labor camps for those who cannot, and will not EVER be able to pay off their fines = Modern Slavery.
ExtonGuy on
I recall reading that the Stalin authorities used to send bills to the family of executed prisoners, charging for the bullets.
santana2k on
So if the fee is paid they can stay?
1cl3nstd4yt on
I think this is illegal. None of them will be able to pay it, so it’s essentially a fraudulent play for private prisons to steal taxpayer dollars.
Private prisons need to be banned.
TSHRED56 on
The Trump administration breaks up families and drags people to privatized profit driven detention facilities in violation of their constitutional rights over civil infractions.
Meanwhile child rapist felon Maxwell gets put into a cushy “club fed” detention with massages and a personal computer.
gary1979 on
So they become slaves! What happened to America? Sick!!!!
TheSamLowry on
See Terry Gilliam’s Brazil.
AWholeNewFattitude on
Welcome back Debtors Prisons, Child Labor, Tanking Economy, and Robber Barons…its the Roaring 20s all over again
JadedToon on
>14 or older
Cool, cool. Extorting children for an unimanigable sum to them.
What a joke of a country
_HawthorneAbendsen on
Just grift, all the way down.
steveosaurus on
so they can put them into normal prison and use them as slave labor
hi we’re back to slavery
vox_popul1 on
Ooo we found the new debt slaves!
aresef on
That’s fucked
ClassicHando on
Arbeit Macht Frei brought to you by the trump administration in the name of all Americans.
SurroundTiny on
Or what? They won’t deport them?
2-wheels on
I bet this cruel shit has Stevey Miller’s cruel fingerprints all over it.
Sad-Ad-6894 on
That can not be legal?
SouthLifeguard9437 on
These are the exact same people who were crying about them being slaves.
Never trust a conservative. They are disingenuous to the core.
SeanOfTheDead1313 on
Gee, the guy who’s whole life was about making money has turned the presidency into making money. I never saw that coming
timmy6169 on
Why does it always end up being about money. Enter the country legally? Pay us. Enter illegally? Pay us?
AdamTexDavis on
And even though there’s no way it can be paid, or will ever be paid, Trump will still tally up the fines and brag that he’s brought X amount of money into the country
Top_Praline999 on
This is the plot to every corrupt sheriff movie from the 70s
HandsLikePaper on
Won’t be long until this is applied to citizens.
Bobzyouruncle on
So… just a legal justification to raid their pockets on the way out.
throwaway1601900 on
Fuck MAGA for electing this diabolical shitshow and doing this to the country.
Sepado on
Pretty sure this is a violation of the 8th amendment.
kicaboojooce on
“we’ll hire then back to the jobs they had bit keep 40% of their pay for administrative fees.
Oh.. you missed an appointment, that’s a $1k fine.
KilroyLeges on
This administration is a constant grift. Charging $5,000 to an immigrant apprehended outside a port of entry is bizarre. The cruelty really sets in considering the fees for processing an asylum application, given how most asylum seekers have no resources. It gets so much worse charging all of these fees to children. They then leave these kids to defend themselves in immigration court without an attorney, since a child has no money or understanding to obtain one. There was a story online the other day about a string of juvenile immigration hearings which included a 3-year old having to defend herself in immigration court. I do not want to hear any Republicans arguing that any of their policies are “for the children.”
39 Comments
From the article (Dec. 6, 2025) |
The Trump administration is slapping a $5,000 “apprehension fee” on migrants without legal status, a top Border Patrol official announced.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks said the charge will apply to people apprehended after crossing the border between ports of entry, expanding the financial penalties tied to unauthorized entry.
The fee, he said, will be imposed on individuals age 14 and older who are taken into custody after entering the United States unlawfully. The fee stems from provisions contained in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which was passed by the GOP-controlled Congress earlier this year.
Read more: [https://www.newsweek.com/trump-administration-to-charge-5000-apprehension-fee-on-migrants-11167610](https://www.newsweek.com/trump-administration-to-charge-5000-apprehension-fee-on-migrants-11167610)
Breaking car windows is an additional $1500 fee.
[deleted]
And since they cannot pay it will be collected by indentured servitude.
So are they going to detain migrants until they have worked off their debt at prison wage rates?
Which will lead to debtor’s prisons where people can work off their debt at marginal wages while paying exorbitant fees for housing, food, communication, etc. in prison, with the government selling such labor to the market, where the illegal immigrants were working in the first place. It’s a fucking racket. Take a look at the workers in a place like Dubai. Same game. It’s modern day slavery.
Yeah, because some fourteen year old immigrant is definitely going to have 5000 dollars at hand. How do they even try to make this practical?
How exactly are these people going to pay?
Literally from the movie Brazil, this shit wasn’t supposed to be instructional
The Trump Administration and Republican party has been turning immigration issues into a future captive labor force. Private prison stocks went up the day Trump was elected for a reason.
The two largest private prison companies we up significantly. GEO went up 41% and Corecivic 29% at the end of the last election.
The conservative party has no interest in deporting people in large numbers. They are interested in cheap labor.
Imagine this scenario: non-citizens in the U.S. will have their visas cancelled and assets seized. This idea would have been implausible a year ago, but each day steps are taken in this direction. There’s a lot wealth to be stolen from non-citizens and this administration knows it.
Forced labor camps for those who cannot, and will not EVER be able to pay off their fines = Modern Slavery.
I recall reading that the Stalin authorities used to send bills to the family of executed prisoners, charging for the bullets.
So if the fee is paid they can stay?
I think this is illegal. None of them will be able to pay it, so it’s essentially a fraudulent play for private prisons to steal taxpayer dollars.
Private prisons need to be banned.
The Trump administration breaks up families and drags people to privatized profit driven detention facilities in violation of their constitutional rights over civil infractions.
Meanwhile child rapist felon Maxwell gets put into a cushy “club fed” detention with massages and a personal computer.
So they become slaves! What happened to America? Sick!!!!
See Terry Gilliam’s Brazil.
Welcome back Debtors Prisons, Child Labor, Tanking Economy, and Robber Barons…its the Roaring 20s all over again
>14 or older
Cool, cool. Extorting children for an unimanigable sum to them.
What a joke of a country
Just grift, all the way down.
so they can put them into normal prison and use them as slave labor
hi we’re back to slavery
Ooo we found the new debt slaves!
That’s fucked
Arbeit Macht Frei brought to you by the trump administration in the name of all Americans.
Or what? They won’t deport them?
I bet this cruel shit has Stevey Miller’s cruel fingerprints all over it.
That can not be legal?
These are the exact same people who were crying about them being slaves.
Never trust a conservative. They are disingenuous to the core.
Gee, the guy who’s whole life was about making money has turned the presidency into making money. I never saw that coming
Why does it always end up being about money. Enter the country legally? Pay us. Enter illegally? Pay us?
And even though there’s no way it can be paid, or will ever be paid, Trump will still tally up the fines and brag that he’s brought X amount of money into the country
This is the plot to every corrupt sheriff movie from the 70s
Won’t be long until this is applied to citizens.
So… just a legal justification to raid their pockets on the way out.
Fuck MAGA for electing this diabolical shitshow and doing this to the country.
Pretty sure this is a violation of the 8th amendment.
“we’ll hire then back to the jobs they had bit keep 40% of their pay for administrative fees.
Oh.. you missed an appointment, that’s a $1k fine.
This administration is a constant grift. Charging $5,000 to an immigrant apprehended outside a port of entry is bizarre. The cruelty really sets in considering the fees for processing an asylum application, given how most asylum seekers have no resources. It gets so much worse charging all of these fees to children. They then leave these kids to defend themselves in immigration court without an attorney, since a child has no money or understanding to obtain one. There was a story online the other day about a string of juvenile immigration hearings which included a 3-year old having to defend herself in immigration court. I do not want to hear any Republicans arguing that any of their policies are “for the children.”