How to Pay Immigration Bonds and Get Your Money Back
If your loved one is being detained in an immigrant detention facility, they may be suffering under inadequate living conditions. Many of them have serious issues such as understaffing, insufficient monitoring, failure to provide mental health observations, and extremely cold temperatures.
To get your loved one released, you need to pay their immigration bond as soon as possible. However, the process can be confusing, and their release will be delayed if you don’t know the process. Find out how to pay immigration bonds below.
How Immigration Bonds Work
ICE sets a bond amount for detainees they deem eligible for release in a hearing. The immigration bond hearing process involves assessing whether the immigrant is a flight risk or would be a danger to the public should they be released.
Detainees that are financially stable, have not committed immigration violations or serious crimes, and have strong ties within the U.S. are more likely to be deemed eligible for a bond. Once paid, they’re free to go with the understanding that they need to fulfill their bond’s conditions.
Paying an Immigration Bond
Schedule an Appointment
Call the local ICE office to set up an appointment to pay your loved one’s bond. However, not all offices receive bond payments, and each facility is responsible for a specific area of responsibility.
Find an Obligor
To pay your loved one’s immigration bond, you need an obligor. This person will pay the bond, handle the paperwork, and be responsible for ensuring that the detainee will follow the conditions of their bond.
Anyone of legal status in the U.S. can be an obligor, including you, another family member, or a friend.
Prepare the Payment and Required Documents
The obligor cannot pay immigration bonds with cash or personal checks. Instead, you need to get a certified cashier’s check. This is a check that’s drawn against a bank’s account. You pay the bank the bond amount and have them make a check out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The obligor must also bring their original social security card and a valid I.D. card. Keep in mind that they will not accept a copy.
Pay and Wait for the Bond to be Posted
Once the obligor pays the bond and the ICE office processes it, your loved one will be released within the same day. You can then pick them up. It is recommended that you contact an immigration lawyer as soon as possible to help them with their case.
Getting the Bond Refunded
Whether your loved one obtains legal status or gets deported, the bond will be canceled, triggering a refund. ICE will send a notice regarding this to the DHS Debt Management Center in Vermont and the obligor.
The obligor should inform ICE if they ever move as the agency will only have the address they previously provided. They can do this by sending an ICE Form I-333, Obligor Change.
Failure to Comply with the Bond Conditions
If your loved one fails to appear at an immigration court hearing or ICE check-in, they will breach the terms of their bond. ICE will then send the obligor a notice to present your loved one at a local office within a specified time, usually a few weeks.
The obligor will have a limited time to find your loved one and make arrangements. If they fail, the bond amount cannot be refunded.
Hire an Immigration Bond Expert
The immigration bond payment process can be stressful, confusing, and time-consuming. Amistad Bail and Immigration Bonds will speed up the process. You’ll have a highly experienced bail bondsman to handle the entire payment process. They’ll quickly have your loved one’s bond posted so the two of you can reunite.
Call us at (800) 537-0645 or fill out our contact form for a free consultation.