Who Is Marta Alicia Ramirez Veliz? Trump Administration Sues Undocumented Virginia Immigrant, Seeks Nearly $1 Million Fine For Failing To Self-Deport

The Trump administration has filed a $1 million lawsuit against Marta Alicia Ramirez Veliz, an undocumented immigrant living in Chesterfield County, Virginia, accusing her of refusing to leave the country.

Trump Administration Sues Undocumented Immigrant

The government wants a civil penalty of $941,114, plus interest. Ramirez Veliz’s immigration story isn’t totally clear, no one knows exactly when she came to the US. But we do know an immigration judge ordered her removal in 2019.

She tried to appeal, but in 2022, the Board of Immigration Appeals dismissed her case. That made the removal order final, according to the Department of Justice.

Who Is Marta Alicia Ramirez Veliz?

In April, Ramirez Veliz got a notice warning she’d be fined. She had 30 days to appeal but didn’t respond, so the penalty stuck. Government lawyers say they calculated the nearly $1 million total by charging $998 for every day between her appeal being denied and the notice in April. 

She hasn’t paid anything yet. Officials say she still owes the full amount, plus any extra fees that pile up.

Charles Moore, a lawyer with Public Justice, told Politico, “That does sound like the largest number we have heard when we were tracking this.” He said he’d seen fines as low as $3,000 and as high as a few hundred thousand dollars—but nothing close to $1 million.

Trump-Era Immigration Enforcement

The Trump administration has handed out around 21,500 fines, adding up to more than $6 billion, to immigrants accused of ignoring orders to leave, according to The Independent.

But there’s an exception. If immigrants decide to “self-deport” basically, leave the country on their own, they don’t have to pay these fines.

The Department of Homeland Security says people who self-deport through the CBP Home app even get perks like cost-free travel, forgiveness of any fines, and a $2,600 exit bonus to help pay for travel home or to another country where they can legally live.

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