Guadalajara, Mexico - A Mexican man who moved to the US when he was only three months old while fleeing violence received a shocking $1.8 million fine from the Department of Homeland Security despite having left months earlier.
Having fled Mexico for California at only a few months old, Hector "Alessandro" Negrete spent the vast majority of his life living in the US. Nine months ago, he returned to the country of his birth seeking a fresh start outside of President Donald Trump's America.
His decision to leave the US and avoid a potential confrontation with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement didn't save him from the Department of Homeland Security, however.
"Hey, you have something that says, 'invoice to border patrol,'" Negrete recalled his former roommate telling him over the phone nine months after he left the US. "What is this?"
Negrete told CNN that, after consulting with his lawyer, he told his roommate to open the envelope and it turned out to be a bill from the DHS totaling $1,829,352.
According to the notice, the penalty was for his failure to comply with a deportation order issued in 2009. Since receiving the notice more than 15 years ago, Negrete had repeatedly tried to gain legal status but faced major barriers.
"What the hell?" Negrete remembered asking when he first saw the notice. "Oh my God, I'm gonna lose my money. I'm gonna lose my job."
More than 100,000 undocumented migrants have received similar fines from the DHS since the beginning of the second Trump administration. This has reportedly raised more than $84 billion.
According to the DHS, migrants who haven't left the US despite receiving a final removal order will be fined $998 per day.
"Our message is clear," a DHS spokesperson told CNN. "Illegal aliens in the country unlawfully should leave now or face consequences – including financial penalties."