Trump Administration Going After Deportees In Home Countries Over Fines, Fees: Report

The Trump administration wants to recover hundreds of millions of dollars in fines and fees from people it already deported, according to a new report.

The administration has hired private companies to find deportees in their home countries in an attempt to recover $423 million in fines and fees, Bloomberg detailed. The action is targeting more than 66,000 people the administration already deported.

The government published a contract opportunity for tracing and recovery services in August. Essentially, the government requested proposals from contractors interested in tracking down deportees and helping the government secure the money.

"These measures are part of broader efforts to address illegal immigration and enforce compliance with United States (U.S.) immigration statutes," the document states.

In the August statement of work, Customs and Border Protection acknowledged that current collection efforts directed at individuals outside the U.S. had not proven to be successful.

CBP stated that they had three collection agencies working for them and that if a person is outside the U.S. the companies will "attempt to send a letter and attempt to call." Regardless, as of July the government had "not located any individuals outside of the U.S. CBP does not have any contracted PCAs operating outside of the U.S."

The government wanted to find some PCAs that could provide work outside of the U.S. "Upon receipt of a referred debtor target, promptly use appropriate and lawful tools and methods to identify current or best-available contact/location information in Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala," the document said.

The proposal lays out how companies could verify the person's address, including photographing their home, obtaining copies of documents like death certificates or court records, utility bills, employment verification records, or other documents.

Once the targets are found and verified, the proposal states that it provides options to secure payment. "Contractor shall communicate to the individual details about Payment platforms. The information provided to the individual shall include information through one payment option within CBP," the document states.

According to Bloomberg News, the August proposal led to the hiring of three companies: Global Recovery Group, The Baptiste Group, Caduceus Inc. and Response AI Solutions. The wire service reported that each agreement has a maximum value of $9 million. None of the companies commented to the outlet.

"Our message is clear: Illegal aliens in the country unlawfully should leave now or face consequences — including financial penalties," DHS said in a statement to Bloomberg News.

The fines were administered under a 1996 law that allows daily penalties to be imposed after someone does not leave after receiving a deportation order. The fines can be as much as $1,000 a day.