Migrants who had been granted temporary entry into the United States through a Biden-era online scheduling app are now being ordered to leave the country "immediately." Since January 2023, over 900,000 people were allowed entry using the CBP One app. These migrants were typically allowed to stay in the U.S. for up to two years.
They were also given work authorization under a presidential provision known as parole. Kristi Noem's Department of Homeland Security said ending these parole permissions fulfills a commitment to the American people to strengthen border security and safeguard national interests. Officials confirmed that termination notices were issued to people who entered through the CBP One app.
No Tolerance Policy
However, they did not disclose the exact number affected. Those impacted were encouraged to voluntarily leave the country by using the same platform—now rebranded as CBP Home—that they originally used to enter.
The announcement also included a warning that those who remain in the U.S. unlawfully and refuse to leave will face a fine of $998 per day until they comply, according to DHS. "If they don't [leave], they will face the consequences," a DHS spokesperson said.
"This includes a fine of $998 per day for every day that the illegal alien overstayed their final deportation order."
Authorities plan to implement the fines under a seldom-used 1996 law that allows penalties for people who defy deportation orders.
The law was initially enforced in 2018 during the Republican administration's first term. However, President Joe Biden's administration put the rule on hold in 2021, calling the fines "ineffective and unnecessarily punitive measures."
A senior official from the Trump administration said that the penalties will be applied retroactively for up to five years, starting from 2019, which means some individuals could face fines exceeding $1 million.
Pay or Perish
It remains unclear how many people will be impacted by this move. "It's time for you to abandon the United States," the Department of Homeland Security wrote in a message to a Honduran family that arrived in the country late last year.
Similar emails have been circulated by others on social media. Al Otro Lado, a nonprofit that offers legal support to migrants, said that some of the people who received parole cancellation notices are from countries such as Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico.
The CBP One app had been a key part of the Biden administration's efforts to expand legal entry options into the U.S., aiming to reduce unlawful border crossings. By the end of December, roughly 936,500 individuals had entered the U.S. through CBP One appointments at ports of entry along the Mexican border.
On his first day back in office, Trump cancelled CBP One for new applicants, leaving thousands of people in Mexico stranded with upcoming appointments through early February.
The newly announced fines are expected to apply only to the estimated 1.6 million migrants in the United States who currently have deportation orders.
The administration is also preparing to seize property from those who fail to pay the fines, according to internal White House emails reviewed by Reuters.
During Trump's first term, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) imposed fines ranging from $300,000 to $500,000 on migrants who avoided deportation by seeking sanctuary in churches.
