Immigration Bonds: What Are They?

The bond is what the judge uses to guarantee that you will attend all of your hearings. It is amount of money you must pay in full in order to make this arrangement where your loved one is released from custody. You are promising that, if they release you from detention, you will go to all your court hearings and do what the judge orders you to do—even if that includes being deported. Remember, if you get out of detention on bond it is not the end of your deportation case. You will still need to go to all your court dates. If you miss even one hearing, you will likely be ordered deported without the chance to give evidence to the Judge or ask for permission to stay in the U.S. The bond money will be lost.

ICE often assigns detainees a bond amount by 2:00pm on the day the detainee arrives with ICE. Bond amount varies depending on each case. The immigration bond must be paid in full before a detainee can get out of custody. The detainee usually knows his bond amount by 2 p.m. and is usually allowed to call a family member to tell them.