Boston federal judge blocks Trump-era fines up to $1.8 million
A federal judge in Boston just stopped a Trump-era policy that fined migrants up to $1.8 million for staying in the US after being ordered to leave.
The judge said these huge fines could ruin lives, and pointed out that over 103,000 fines had already been issued since Trump returned to the White House in 2025.
The decision came after a lawsuit argued the fines were enforced illegally.
Judge O'Toole rules government violated procedures
Judge O'Toole ruled that the government broke its own rules by not clearly stating what migrants did wrong on official forms.
The lawsuit, backed by immigrant advocates, also called out changes made last year that let officials skip a 30-day warning period and speed up fines without asking for public input.
While these penalties were allowed under a 1996 law, they weren't used until Trump's first term, and DHS has yet to respond to this latest court decision.