How Long Do You Have to Pay an Immigration Bond?

Being detained by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, rarely ever happens with any advance notice. Typically, when an immigrant is arrested by this agency, it occurs unexpectedly during a traffic stop, workplace raid or as the result of an arrest made by local Law Enforcement Agents (LEA). Generally, those who are detained by ICE will be told whether they are eligible for release through an immigration bond within a day or two of their arrest and a price will be set. At this point, they can contact family members or friends to arrange for one of them to make the payment and in turn, secure their release. Sadly, since these situations occur without warning, many loved one’s struggle to come up with the funds needed. While they want to get the immigrant released as soon as possible, they worry, “how long do you have to pay an immigration bond?” as they work to find a way to pay the large sum of money.

In short, there is no specific time frame that dictates when an immigration bond must be paid. But the bond must be paid in full before the detainee will be released from detainment in an ICE facility or contracted prison.

Some families may opt to wait a few days or weeks until they are able to raise the full amount of the bond in cash. At this point, they must designate one member of the family as the immigration bond sponsor. This sponsor must be a United States citizen or permanent legal resident in good standing with the government. They must also be in possession of their original social security card and will need to appear at an ICE facility to make the payment. Once they make the payment, whether it has been 3 days or 4 weeks since the initial detainment, the immigrant will be released.

Those who are unable to secure the amount of cash needed to pay the bond in full after several weeks, or even months, may opt to take another route to secure the release of their loved one. This may include taking out a loan, refinancing property, selling assets, or turning to an immigration bail bond company. While some of these other options can take time, consulting a bail bond company is often the simplest and quickest way to go if you find yourself wondering “how long do you have to pay an immigration bond?”. The bail bond company will only require the immigration bond sponsor to pay a small percentage of the total immigration bond amount. They may also require a form of collateral, such as the deed to a home or the title to a vehicle. Once the requirements are met, they will arrange the release of the immigrant with ICE on your behalf.

After the immigrant is released from detainment, through either method, they must then comply with all the terms set forth in their bond agreement until their case is resolved in court. If they do, immigration bond sponsors who paid in cash will be eligible for a refund. It is important to note, however, that it can take up to a year to receive the money. Immigrants who do not comply; however, face being detained or deported, and the money paid for their bond will be lost. Those who used an immigration bail bond service will not receive any portion of their payment back, regardless of the immigrant’s compliance. Collateral, on the other hand, will not be collected unless the immigrant fails to appear in court or otherwise breaks the bond agreement with the company.

If your loved one has been detained by ICE and you are wondering, “how long do you have to pay an immigration bond?” or are struggling to come up with the funds needed to secure their release, contact us today to discuss the options that are available to you.