Many people know that if they get arrested, they need to post bail to get home before their trial date. However, what many don’t realize is that, if they are getting tried in an immigration law court, they need immigration bonds instead.
While these bonds do differ from standard ones, there are some similarities. In short, an immigration bond follows the same line of thinking, which yes, you became arrested, but you will get allowed to leave jail now if you promise to appear for your trial.
You can likely obtain an immigration bond from your local bail bonds provider, although rather than the amount going to criminal courts, it goes to Immigration & Customs Enforcement or immigration courts.
What Do Immigration Bonds Cost?
The most burning question most people have is what is their immigration bond going to cost them to receive it? Unfortunately, that question has many different factors that determine the amount, making it challenging to calculate.
The amount of your bond is likely going to depend on your criminal history, your status in the immigration process, and how much of a flight risk the court deems you. And unlike common bail bonds, which often get set at around 10% of the total amount, you are likely going to have to come up with at least 15% to hand over to I.C.E.
The silver lining is that immigration bonds are often less expensive than criminal case bail amounts. That means that even if you do need to pay a higher upfront premium, the total cost should be more affordable than usual bail.
Are There Different Immigration Bonds?
There are two primary forms of immigration bonds that accomplish different end objectives. The one that most closely resembles a bail bond is delivery bond.
Delivery bonds require someone who will take custody, as well as a guarantee that they will appear in court. Failure to appear will result in you forfeiting the entire amount, as well as likely facing prison time.
Voluntary departure bonds, on the other hand, releases you from custody under the promise that you will leave the county by yourself. If it gets discovered that you remain here, you will lose your entire bond amount to the state.
