Originally Posted by
Global Adventurer
People that overstay their visas can pay the fine at the airport. They aren't jailing people unless they make no effort to resolve the issue. Anybody arriving in Mexico and have no clue how many days they are allowed to stay need to find out BEFORE they leave the immigration stations in the airport they arrive to. They need to go back their to confirm their departure day and find out the fine involved if they've already overstayed their visa. I'm not sure how somebody can visit Mexico and NOT KNOW what their authorized number of days are. That's mind boggling.
You can pay a fine at the airport when you are leaving, assuming you don't get caught in a random immigration check before that. If you get caught at a bus station, etc., you are "detained" for days to weeks in deplorable conditions - until you are deported. This is very different than paying a small fine at the airport.