Getting Started: Need to Get Someone Out of ICE Custody?

One of the most commonly asked questions in the immigration bond world is the most obvious one, where do you start?

As you can imagine, most families and individuals have no idea what to do should they or a loved ever get detained. That is why the Center for Immigration Assistance focuses its website on providing information to families who are navigating the complex work of immigration. It is why I have written this blog post on where to get started if you need to get someone out of ICE custody.

So usually, the first thing that happens is that ICE has arrested an alien with whom you have a relationship (e.g., relative, friend), charged him/her with being in the United States illegally, and placed him/her in detention. ICE will have served the alien with a Notice to Appear (NTA) setting forth the specific allegations of unlawful presence. If the alien is not subject to mandatory detention, ICE will set an amount (usually $5,000-$7,500) for the posting of a delivery bond to secure the alien’s release from detention.

This is where most consumers get confused. You have two options when you are looking to post. You can either post the entire amount of the bond in cash directly with ICE or arrange for the posting by a surety company authorized to post such bonds. The Center for Immigration Assistance can provide you with assistance should you want to contact a company that posts immigration bonds. If you choose to post the bond through a surety company, they will request certain items of information:

Name and A-number of the alien;
Location of the alien’s detention;
Address and phone of location where the alien will reside after release from detention;
Your contact information; and
A copy of the NTA served on the alien.

Posting an immigration bond through a licensed immigration bonding agent is typically the fastest way to have someone released from detention. Immigration bonding agents are able to post bonds electronically. That means that they can have an alien released from any detention center in the country without having to be there in person. Additionally, immigration bonding agents are typically more flexible when it comes to payment options.

To learn more about bonding someone out of an immigration detention facility feel free to contact the team at CFIA.

SEARCH FOR A DETAINEE NOW BY NAME

Start by searching for your loved one to see where they are being held. When searching by name, the detainee's first and last names are required and must be an exact match and select the detainee's country of birth.

First Name

Last Name

Detainee's Country of Origin

Author: Doug Wood

Mr. Wood grew up in the Tidewater (Norfolk/Virginia Beach) area of Virginia. After earning a BA in History from the College of William and Mary in 1963, he attended the Naval Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island. He received his commission in March, 1964, and went on the serve five years on active duty. He then enrolled in the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at William and Mary, and graduated in 1972. Mr. Wood spent his legal career with a variety of federal government agencies. The last 11 of this were with the (then) Immigration and Naturalization Service. For the last five of these years he was the lead attorney on all matters relating to immigration bonds. Upon his retirement in 2001, he began a career as a consultant to a number of immigration bond companies. Although retired from the bar, he continues to provide consulting services to immigration bond companies around the country. View all posts by Doug Wood