If someone you love was just detained by ICE
The first days after a detention are confusing. Your family member may be moved between facilities, phone calls are short, and nobody explains what happens next. Here is what you can do today while you look for a lawyer.
- Find them. Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator with their full name, country of birth and date of birth, or their A-number if you have it. Write down the facility name and the ICE field office.
- Tell them not to sign anything they do not understand, especially any paper agreeing to leave the country. Signing can give up the right to see a judge.
- Gather documents: passport or ID, proof of how long they have lived here, proof of address, tax returns, pay stubs, children's birth certificates, marriage certificate, and any prior immigration paperwork.
- Identify a sponsor: a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident with a stable address where your family member can live if released.
- Call us. Detained cases move fast, and the earlier we get involved, the sooner we can ask for a bond hearing.
How immigration bond works
An immigration bond is money paid to the government as a promise that the detained person will attend every hearing and comply with any final order. When the case ends, the bond can be refunded to the person who paid it.
Immigration law is federal, so the process is the same across Virginia, Maryland and DC. ICE decides first whether to release someone and at what amount. If ICE refuses or sets an amount the family cannot pay, a lawyer can ask the immigration court (EOIR) for a bond hearing before an immigration judge. The judge looks at two questions: is this person a danger to the community, and are they likely to show up for court.
Not everyone is eligible. Under federal law, some people are subject to mandatory detention and a judge cannot set a bond for them. This often includes people with certain criminal convictions and people with prior removal orders. Under current practice, ICE and some judges also treat many people who entered without inspection as not eligible for a bond from a judge, and that question is being fought in the courts. We will tell you honestly, after reviewing the facts, whether a bond hearing is realistic.
What happens at a bond hearing
A bond hearing is usually short, and it is separate from the removal case itself. The detained person appears in person or by video. The DHS attorney explains why the government opposes release or wants a high bond. Your lawyer presents the reasons release is appropriate.
Strong bond cases are built on documents: a sponsor letter with proof of the sponsor's status and address, proof of family ties and length of time in the United States, work history, tax filings, letters of support from community members, evidence of eligibility for relief in the removal case, and an honest explanation of any arrests.
The judge can set a bond, raise or lower the amount ICE set, or deny bond. If bond is granted, it is paid at an ICE office or online by a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, and release usually follows once ICE processes the payment.
How an immigration bond lawyer at USG Law Group helps
We locate your family member, confirm which court has the case, and file our notice of appearance so we can speak with ICE and the court on their behalf. We review their history for anything that affects bond eligibility and tell you plainly what we find.
We prepare the bond packet with your help, coach the sponsor on what to expect, and request the earliest hearing date available. At the hearing, attorney Sandra Leiva, who handles our detained and immigration court cases, presents the case for release.
Release is only the first step. The removal case continues after bond, and we stay with you for that too. See our Deportation Defense and Immigration Court pages for how that part works.
What can make bond harder to get
Criminal history is the biggest factor, even for old or minor charges, and even when the case was dismissed. Missed court dates in the past, prior deportations, a recent entry, or a weak sponsor can also lead a judge to deny bond or set a high amount.
If bond is denied, your lawyer may be able to appeal the bond decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) or ask for a new bond hearing later if circumstances change. In some cases the better path is to move the removal case forward quickly while your family member is detained, because detained cases are heard much sooner.
Why families choose USG Law Group when someone is detained
Attorney Marianela Uribe, our founder, is an immigrant herself. She is licensed in Maryland and Virginia and serves clients in Washington DC. Clients tell us we move faster than other offices they called and that we explain every step. When a family member is detained, both of those things matter.
We offer evening, weekend and virtual appointments so working families can reach us, and we offer payment plans. Every conversation can be in English or Spanish.
