Miriam Jordan

The Trump administration is aggressively deploying a potent tool to pressure immigrants in the country illegally into self-deporting — civil fines that can total as much as $1.8 million.

Federal agents are arresting spouses of Americans, tech workers and others whose visas have expired, including many who have active applications to stay in the country.

By and The Trump administration has begun arresting foreign citizens with expired U.S. visas as they travel through airports, including

Immigration agents in plain clothes have whisked away targets at check-in counters and arrival gates, with enforcement actions in at least 15 airports in recent weeks.

The case represents a new front in President Trump’s mass deportation drive: arrests at airports of people who have active immigration cases and no criminal history.

The case represents a new front in President Trump’s mass deportation drive: arrests at airports of people who have active immigration cases and no criminal history.

Federal agents have been detaining small numbers of Haitians over the past week in Springfield, Ohio, according to community leaders and advocates, fueling widespread fear among the immigrants that is prompting many to stay home.

The devices, which will make it easier for authorities to locate immigrants in Springfield if large-scale deportations begin, have intensified a sense of dread.

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio -- Before dawn on Wednesday, Jonas Julien waited in the darkness of his Springfield, Ohio, home for his ride to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office about an hour away.