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Wendy Ortiz was surprised to find out she was being fined by U.S. immigration authorities for being in the country illegally — but it was the amount that truly shocked her: $1.8 million. Ortiz, who earns $13 an hour in her job at a meatpacking plant in Pennsylvania, has lived in the U.S. for a decade, after fleeing El Salvador to escape a violent ex-partner and gang threats, she said. Her salary barely covers rent and expenses for her autistic 6-year-old U.S.-citizen son. In the last few weeks, President Trump has set in motion a plan to fine migrants who fail to leave the U.S. after a final deportation order, issuing notices to 4,500 migrants with penalties totaling more than $500 million, a senior Trump official said. The recipients of the notices were informed that they had 30 days to contest, in writing, under oath, and with evidence as to why the penalty should not be imposed. The steep fines are part of Trump’s aggressive push to get immigrants in the U.S. illegally to leave t...

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