A Southern California woman says she nearly fell over when she opened a letter from the Department of Homeland Security telling her she owed $1,820,000 while she waits on a green card application that has been pending for roughly 13 years. Her attorney says she has no criminal record and has been regularly checking in with immigration officials even as her family members in the United States, including her father and three adult children, are U.S. citizens. The notice, which arrived last Friday, is being held up as a stark example of how revived civil penalty rules can turn years of bureaucratic delay into a financial nightmare.
The woman, who asked the station not to use her name for safety reasons, told reporters she came to the United States from Mexico around age 13 and did not learn there was a 2003 voluntary departure order in her file until immigration agents located her in 2013. At that point she began trying to adjust her status and has since pursued family-based relief, according to her lawyer, William Menard. Menard told the station his client "has no criminal record" and has repeatedly shown up for required check-ins while her case crawls through a slow-moving backlog. The story was first detailed by NBC San Diego.
The legal hook for the seven-figure invoice comes from an interim final rule issued in June 2025 that reshaped how the government imposes civil penalties. The rule, published in the Federal Register, tightens notice and appeal timelines and authorizes immigration officers to assess civil monetary penalties, including daily fines of up to $998 in certain cases. In announcing the change, the Department of Homeland Security said the streamlined system was designed to make enforcement swift and at scale.
At the same time, the administration has rolled out a voluntary departure program through the CBP Home app that mixes financial carrots with the stick of possible fines for those who stay. Advocacy groups and legal guides point out that the program’s advertised “exit bonus” has gone up over time, and current practitioner guidance puts the stipend at $2,600, with the government also offering travel assistance and possible fine forgiveness for people who qualify. For background on both the incentives and the practical risks of signing up, see practice guidance from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and materials from USCIS about Project Homecoming.
Legal Challenge And The Next Court Date
Immigrant rights advocates have already taken the fining policy to federal court. Two women and the Immigrant Legal Resource Center filed a class action in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in November 2025, arguing the government has been slapping people with massive penalties without the individualized findings the statute requires and that the fines themselves are unconstitutional, according to court summaries. The case is still active, and the Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse is tracking the filings. The station reports that a key hearing is set for May 13.
Local advocates say these eye-popping notices operate as a pressure tactic that nudges people toward the government’s departure program even when their immigration cases are very much alive. Menard has called the move an intimidation strategy aimed at people who are trying to follow the rules. The practical fallout is immediate and harsh: those who cannot pay can be referred to collections, face potential liens on property, and see any future immigration prospects badly damaged.
Immigration lawyers and legal aid groups urge anyone hit with a Notice of Violation to contact an attorney quickly. Advocates say some people may be able to pursue administrative appeals or raise statutory defenses, including arguments that any failure to leave the country was not willful. The upcoming court hearings will be closely watched, since a ruling could determine whether thousands of similar penalties stay in place or are wiped out and whether the government’s revamped fining system remains a central enforcement tool. For practitioners’ checklists and client-facing guidance, see the Immigrant Legal Resource Center materials linked above.
