WASHINGTON:-  The US Department of Homeland Security has announced a proposal to increase the fee that immigrants who are ordered to be deported and later arrested by ICE for failing to appear at court hearings will have to pay. Homeland Security is proposing to increase the fee from the current $5,130 to $18,000. The fee will be adjusted annually to reflect inflation.

According to the proposed rule published in the Federal Register, the fee would apply only to individuals who failed to leave the United States despite receiving a deportation order because they failed to appear at a court hearing and were later apprehended by ICE. The government has invited public comments on the rule by June 22, 2026.

Homeland Security is proposing the new fee, estimating that the average cost of locating, arresting, detaining, processing, and deporting an individual is about $18,042. Homeland Security argues that the current fee of about $5,000 is not sufficient. Homeland Security says the fee is only a partial reimbursement of actual costs, with half of the money collected going to ICE and the rest to federal funds.

Homeland Security data shows a sharp increase in deportation orders issued for failure to appear at court hearings from 2022 to 2025. The number increased from 62,510 in 2022 to 222,920 in 2024 and 309,700 in 2025.

Similarly, ICE claims to have arrested 23,670 people with such warrants in 2025. Noting that the high number and high costs have put a huge strain on ICE’s resources, Homeland Security expects this fee increase to help reduce the burden on taxpayers and ensure enforcement capacity.

The proposed rule states that a person who is required to pay the fee will be given written notice of the fee and that if they are unable to pay, they will also be able to make an agreement to pay in installments. A complaint against the fee can be filed within 30 days of receiving the notice. This fee will not be charged if an appeal is filed to overturn a deportation order issued for failure to appear at a court hearing and the order is overturned.