Mexican Migrant Handed Jaw-Dropping Fine By Homeland Security For Illegal Stay In The U.S.

A Mexican woman who has lived in Southern California for 12 years is now facing a major legal challenge. She has been hit with a fine worth millions of dollars by the Department of Homeland Security, which alleges that she has been living in the U.S. illegally for an extended period.

While she is undocumented, she has been trying to obtain lawful permanent status for over a decade. However, the latest notice from the federal department has left her with a difficult choice.

The migrant spoke with a news outlet and chose to remain anonymous as she faces a terrible moment of decision ahead. On April 24, she received a terrifying letter from the Department of Homeland Security. It demanded from her a hefty fine of close to $1.82 million for living as an undocumented citizen of America.

The woman mentioned that for the last 12 years, she had been trying to turn things around and secure a permanent resident status within the country. Her long-standing efforts to do the right thing are now in jeopardy, as she must either pay up or leave the country.

Speaking with NBC7, she said, “It was a shock. When I started reading, and I saw the amount – $1,820,000—it was kind of insane.”

The Mexican migrant woman revealed that she came to the U.S. when she was only 13 years old. Back then, the Mexican native was issued a voluntary deportation order in 2003, which required her to leave. She had no idea of its existence until immigration agents tracked her down.

Recalling her relentless efforts to secure permanent residency in the U.S., the woman stated, “Since then, I’ve been fighting my case. I’ve been fighting for this for too many years to do the right thing.”

The woman’s immigration attorney further stated that his client had absolutely no criminal history. She had no public safety issues and has instead spent decades complying with immigration authorities whenever needed. For the last twelve years, she had been putting in all the efforts to gain a green card through her U.S. citizen father and three adult kids.

Her attorney, William Menard, further stated that his client’s case had been stuck in limbo for a really long time. As a result, her green card application was paused, and she now faced the threat of being deported or pay a heavy fine.

The Department of Homeland Security has once more upheld its strong policies about illegal immigrants in the country. It comes after the President’s stiff crackdown on immigration enforcement lapses among people, including zero tolerance towards undocumented migrants.

One of the department’s spokespersons reflected on the incident and stated, “A pending green card application does not give someone legal status to be in our country. The Trump administration is not going to ignore the rule of law. Our message is clear: Illegal aliens in the country illegally should leave now or face consequences.”