That’s just another admission that the United States of America is a broken country with a completely dysfunctional system that needs to be revolutionized, not just overhauled or reformed. When your mechanic tells you that it will be cheaper to replace your car than change a tire, it means either your car is completely worthless and should be abandoned or the tire industry needs to be nationalized.Because it's cheaper to enslave them than imprison them. With a 1.8 million judgement anything she makes for the rest of her life in the USA will be garnished by the IRS. Even if a future Democratic admin lets her back in she'll still have to pay. This is probably one of the most effective ways to get her out and keep her out.
You’ve proposed the old lawyer/bean counter solution, to just settle out bullshit claims because it’s cheaper than litigation. In the long term it just creates more costs, because all the grifters learn they can get paid just for being a hindrance without any consequence.
It doesn’t sound like this lady is going anywhere soon, and will get free lawyers to tie this up in court. She can always just return with a fake identity to avoid any repercussions. She couldn’t do that in a prison cell. If you want to make an omelette. . .
You make the error of treating these parasites like they’re vested participants in society that can be cajoled by some government judgment because they’re honest stakeholders in the system with something to lose. You don’t fine a bum, or a squatter. You physically rip them off of their ass and throw them off of your property. They don’t understand a bill. They understand a boot.