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I doubt they've "handled" them much at all.
The net sifter agrees with you.
When an undocumented immigrant is deported, their assets (like houses, cars, bank accounts) aren't automatically seized;
they generally retain legal ownership rights, but managing them from abroad becomes difficult, often leading to default, foreclosure, or abandonment unless a trusted person is granted a Power of Attorney or a specific asset protection trust is established beforehand to handle property, pay debts, and manage affairs. ICE inventories personal belongings during detention, attempting to send them with the deportee or allow pickup, but the real challenge lies in property and finances left behind
Michigan has "civil forfeiture"
from the net sifter:
Michigan's civil forfeiture allows police to seize property linked to crimes, with proceeds funding law enforcement, but it's controversial due to potential abuse, though recent laws (like Senate Bill 2 in 2019) require a criminal conviction for some drug-related forfeitures under $50k. Millions are generated annually, like over $12 million in 2021 and $20.4 million netted in one recent year, with funds used for equipment, vehicles, and training, but critics say it incentivizes seizures from innocent people, per reports by groups like the Institute for Justice and Mackinac Center
How it works
Seizure: Police can seize cash or property (vehicles, homes, etc.) believed to be proceeds or instruments of crime, even without a conviction.
Legal Process: The government files a civil case (not criminal) to prove the property is connected to a crime by a "preponderance of the evidence" (more likely than not).
Owner's Role: Property owners must file a claim and can challenge the seizure, but sometimes face high bonds or fees, notes the Institute for Justice.
Recent Reforms (2019): Laws like SB 2 require a conviction for forfeitures under $50,000 in drug cases unless the owner gives up the property, adding a hurdle for some seizures, according to Sinas Dramis Law Firm.
I'm surprised the Federal government has not adopted the practice. As the deportee is in the US illegally, than anything they owned in the US would be part of their committing the crime of being in the US.
Steve
