The Trump administration has imposed $5,000 'apprehension fee' at the moment of arrest on anyone aged 14 or older who enters the country without authorisation, an amount that comes in addition to daily fines of up to $1,000 under a new enforcement rule unveiled by the Trump administration on Friday.

The revised policy allows authorities to immediately penalise undocumented individuals upon apprehension, eliminating the earlier requirement of a 30-day notice period before fines could be issued.

As US Border Patrol Chief Michael W. Banks declared on X (formerly Twitter): “This message applies to all illegal aliens regardless of where they entered, how long they've been in the US, their current location, or any ongoing immigration proceedings.”

Who will pay the fees?

The fee applies to:

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