Report: DHS Is Hiring Private Companies to Collect Immigration Fines From Deported Migrants Overseas

FORT BLISS, TX - JANUARY 23, 2025: (EDITOR'S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images' editorial policy.) In this handout provided by the U.S. Department of Defense, illegal immigrants prepare to board a C-17 Globemaster III assigned to the 60th Air Mobility Wing for a removal flight at Fort Bliss, Texas, on Jan. 23, 2025. Under the direction of U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Transportation Command is supporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement removal flights by providing military airlift. (Credit: Dept. of Defense photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas J. De La Pena)

Undocumented immigrants have been fiercely targeted by the Trump administration's immigration enforcement policies, with more than 675,000 people deported since Trump returned to office, according to the most recent figures shared by the administration. But according to a recent report, efforts against undocumented immigrants are reaching well beyond U.S. borders, with Customs and Border Protection allegedly looking to hire private investigators to track down deported migrants and pressure them to pay money to the government.

Records reviewed by WIRED center on the Tracing and Payment Recovery Services Program, which allegedly allows the Department of Homeland Security to fine people for certain immigration-law violations, with those fines remaining owed even after someone has been deported. According to documents reviewed by the outlet, DHS said it had about $423 million in unpaid immigration fines and fees worldwide.