Trump Administration Imposes $5,000 Fees on Illegal Border Crossers

The administration of President Donald Trump announced the imposition of new financial fees amounting to five thousand dollars on migrants who are caught entering the United States illegally. The measure comes as part of a broad package of fees and punitive procedures linked to the immigration file, according to what Newsweek reported.

Michael Banks, head of the U.S. Border Patrol, said that what has become known as the “apprehension fee” will be applied to migrants aged 14 and older who are detained after crossing between official entry points. He explained that the decision is based on legislation passed by Congress earlier this year known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

The new fees, which constitute an unprecedented step in the history of American border policy, form part of a wider approach being adopted by the U.S. administration to reshape the immigration system and intensify the financial pressure on those entering the country without documentation, especially after the southern border saw a sharp decline in illegal crossings since the beginning of the year.

New Immigration Fees Spark Strong Backlash

The Department of Homeland Security says these decisions represent the broadest shift in years in the philosophy of dealing with immigration, moving away from focusing primarily on detention and deportation to adding a direct economic burden on those apprehended.

According to the new law, the five thousand dollar fee will be set as a minimum for fiscal year 2025, with the possibility of increasing it later based on inflation rates, granting the Secretary of Homeland Security the authority to raise the fees periodically. The legislation also introduces other fees, including a non-waivable minimum fee of one hundred dollars for first-time asylum applications, plus an additional hundred dollars for each year the request remains under review. The law also imposes a new fee of 250 dollars on applications for “Special Immigrant Juvenile” status, the legal pathway designated for children who have suffered neglect or domestic violence.

The decisions have drawn wide criticism from immigrant rights defenders, who consider the fees “punitive and unjust,” particularly toward unaccompanied minors. Democratic lawmakers have introduced a new bill titled “Protecting Unaccompanied Children,” which aims to exempt minors from apprehension fees, asylum fees, and judicial procedures. Migrant advocacy groups warn that imposing fees on vulnerable groups with no financial capacity could shut the door on humanitarian protection mechanisms and make these children easier targets for human trafficking networks.

Administration Claims Security Gains Amid Legal Threats

In contrast, the Trump administration insists that the measures are yielding unprecedented results in border security, pointing to illegal crossings falling to their lowest level in any fiscal year since records began. The Department of Homeland Security says it carried out more than 600,000 deportation operations in the first year of the current administration, while more than two million people left U.S. territory through voluntary departure or deportation.

Although the fees have officially come into effect, observers expect the move to face legal challenges in the coming period, whether from human rights groups or states adversely affected by the new policy.

Analysts also expect the apprehension fee and accompanying asylum fees to become the center of broad political and legal debate over the future of the U.S. immigration system, at a time when the administration is moving toward a stricter policy that goes beyond border enforcement toward creating a “direct economic cost” for those attempting to enter the country illegally.