A federal rule effective Oct. 14 permits a late civil-penalty appeal when a documented mail delivery delay was beyond the affected person's control and ICE accepts that explanation.
The change applies to affected people in Comal County who face the specified federal immigration civil penalties; the rule supplies no county count.
The Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice say the rule finalizes procedures first issued in June 2025. Those procedures concern civil penalties tied to failure to depart after certain departure or removal orders and specified unlawful entry or attempted entry. The agencies describe the mail-delay provision as the one change in the final rule; it does not make every late appeal eligible for acceptance.
The practical question for a person considering an appeal is whether they can document the delivery delay and show it was beyond their control. ICE decides whether to accept that explanation. The Federal Register rule is the primary record for checking the covered penalty categories, effective date and stated exception; an individual case would require its own notice and appeal record to determine what happened.