ICE Withdraws Exhortbitant Fines For Immigrants Taking Refuge In Churches

Beginning in December 2018, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement began issuing six-figure fines against immigrants taking sanctuary at churches. However, these fines are now being reversed and dismissed.

It has been reported that seven women have been secretly notified that ICE has withdrawn from seeking payment for fines so far. The fines were staggering, ranging from $300,000 to $500,000 due to individuals' decision to remain in the country, despite being ordered to deport. Although the fines are being reassessed, ICE stands firm on enforcing consequence on those immigrants who have remained in the U.S. in violation of the law. Individuals are still subject to removal and deportation.

"We knew that these exorbitant fines were illegal and were nothing more than a tool to scare our clients and retaliate against them for fighting back and standing up to this administration," Attorney Lizbeth Mateo said in a statement. Mateo is the legal counsel who represents a Mexican woman living at an Ohio church, reports said.

Churches have been widely used by immigrants to seek refuge. These places of worship have been deemed as "sensitive locations,” in which immigrant officials usually avoid enforcement. However, individuals such as Edith Espinal, who has been living at a Columbus church for nearly two years, was notified in June that she had been fined $500,000. According to the agency, a total of nine fine notifications were issued in June. As of Wednesday, eight of those were withdrawn leaving one to be remained and pursued.

The outstanding fines were a tactic used to execute policies set in place by President Donald Trump, who has made the deportation of illegal immigrants a domestic focus.

Immigrants who have been freed on bond but are ordered to deport are given a date to surrender to immigration authorities for deportation. In other cases, individuals are ordered to check in with authorities. According to reports, under former President Barack Obama-era policies, this usually did not result in deportation unless the person was convicted of a serious crime in the United States. In response to the low deportation rates, Trump promptly eliminated those restrictions, which resulted in people getting deported once they reported to ICE offices as instructed. The high occurrences of deportation have discouraged many from coming to the United States.

The National Sanctuary Collective, a union of attorneys, organizers and other advocates for immigrants, count the reversal as a victory.