How Long Can You Be Held Without Bond in Florida?

Immigrants who are arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency often have a lot of questions. The same goes for family members and loved ones who are unfamiliar with the process of ICE detainment. One of the most commonly asked questions regarding immigration requests is: how long can you be held without bond in Florida?

When it comes to immigration, the legal process is different than when it comes to criminal arrests of U.S. citizens in the state of Florida. Typically, when a citizen is arrested for a criminal charge, they can only be held for 30 days without being charged before they must be released. A charge is necessary for a bond hearing to take place in these scenarios, which essentially means that they can be held for 30 days without bond in Florida.

In terms of immigration; however, most immigrants receive a bond hearing within 48-72 hours of their initial arrest. Despite this, not all immigrants are eligible for a bond hearing. In some circumstances, immigrants are subject to expedited removal which means that they can be deported within a matter of days without a bond hearing or other proceedings. Likewise, immigrants may opt for voluntary departure, in which they agree to leave the country without fighting their immigration charges in court. Other immigrants may also be required to remain in the custody of ICE until their court case concludes in court. This is known as mandatory detention and can be applied if the agency views the immigrant as a risk to national security or the community. These immigrants may be held without bond for however long it may take for their case to conclude. In some cases, this is only a few months but it can take upwards of a year or more.

When an immigrant is arrested by local law enforcement agents (LEA) instead of ICE agents, it can also affect the legal proceedings. This is because LEA are only required to hold an immigrant for 48 hours. This period of time, known as an immigration detainer, provides the immigration agency with time to collect the immigrant. If they fail to collect the immigrant within this time-frame and there are no further charges, the immigrant will then be released without bail.

For immigrants who are eligible for bond in Florida, their eligibility and the amount of the bond is typically determined within the first few days after the arrest is made. From there, their friends or family members can post the bond at a nearby ICE bond acceptance facility or through an immigration bond service. Many loved ones opt to avoid working with ICE, as they are notoriously difficult to work with. It is often comforting to have an experienced bond service to act as a third party connection to avoid any problems that may result.

Have questions about bonds, such as how long can you be held without a bond in Florida? Reach out to the experts at US Immigration Bonds today for answers