Undocumented mother in Florida facing $1.8 million ICE fine for not leaving country

An undocumented mother is speaking out, unsure of what to do next after she was allegedly issued a nearly $2 million fine by immigration officials.

The mother of three kids, who did not want to share her name, told Telemundo 51 Miami that she fled from gang violence in her native Honduras after her brother was killed by members of the notorious MS-13 gang.

Since she arrived in the United States in 2005, she's been trying to find a legal path forward.

She's still undocumented after her asylum case was denied and has been under a deportation order since 2020.

Then last month, she got a letter from ICE that fined her a staggering $1,821,350.

"They're charging me because I've been in this country illegally since 2005," she said in Spanish.

She said sees it as punishment, as she was never notified about a fine and never received documents warning this was coming, much less a fine that large.

"I have no way to pay for it," she said.

She simply wants to stay to see her three U.S.-born kids grow up to be productive members of society.

“She is hard working, taxpayer, she has no arrest anywhere in the world," said immigration attorney Michelle Sanchez.

Her attorney said the mother never knew she had a deportation order and believes the large sum is based on a law where people get fined $500 a day every day they’re in the United States illegally.

“She is seeking aggressively to fight this in court," Sanchez said.

NBC6 reached out to ICE for a statement and received a response of Wednesday.

"Aliens who violate the nation’s immigration laws and fail to comply with a removal order issued by a Department of Justice Immigration Judge will face legal consequences, such as fines or imprisonment. The best option is to comply with the law and leave the United States. DHS encourages illegal aliens in the country to use the CBP Home app to self-deport," the statement read.