Musings on Immigration

A person who is detained at an immigration detention center can ask for a bond hearing to see if the judge will agree to release him on bond. The detainee can represent himself or he can choose to be represented by an attorney. On the opposite side, we have the government attorney (or ICE attorney) who is typically fighting to deport a detainee. A bond hearing is conducted to present to the judge arguments in favor and against the release of this detainee. Generally, you only get one bond hearing , so you have one chance to present the best arguments, evidence, and witnesses to help your case. You should not take a bond hearing lightly. Although this is not a formal immigration hearing, what you do—or not do—at a bond hearing can determine what remaining time you will have in the U.S., how quickly your case will be processed (detained cases are processed quicker), and where your case will be heard (for example, the court immigration in Stewart/Lumpkin, Georgia will typically hea...

Usted debería contratar a un abogado de inmigración el cual pueda averiguar exactamente cual es el cargo especifico que el gobierno esta presentando en contra suya. Esta semana, tuvimos un cliente  que fue detenido en su propia casa, antes del amanecer, después de que ICE toco a su puerta, y lo transfirieron al Centro de Detención de Stewart en Lumpkin, GA (2.5 horas al sur de Atlanta). La esposa de nuestro cliente contrato a nuestra firma para que investigáramos exactamente lo que el gobierno iba a presentar en contra de su esposo y para que pidiéramos una fianza por el. ICE inicialmente nos dijo que nuestro cliente tenía una felonía agravada, lo cual es bastante serio (ejemplos de felonías agravadas son: pornografía y abuso infantil, ofensas relacionadas con armas de fuego, robo, trafico de drogas, etc.). Dos días después de que fuimos informados de esto, ICE empezó a alegar que ahora nuestro cliente tenia una condena por DUI de 1997 y que por eso estaba detenido. Para ese e...

Matter of M-A-S, 24I&N Dec. 762 (BIA 2009), a new case was decided by the Board of Immigration Appeals (“Board”) on March 19, 2009, holds that, “[a]n Immigration Judge may order an alien detained until departure as a condition of a grant of voluntary departure”. In this case, the respondent was denied his claim for asylum and as a condition of voluntary departure was ordered detained until his departure. What’s worse is that the respondent appealed this decision to the Board and has been detained for almost a year awaiting adjudication of his appeal! The respondent argued that only DHS, not an Immigration Judge, has the authority to refuse bond and grant voluntary departure under safeguards. Voluntary departure under safeguards, by definition, means that an individual is given permission to voluntarily depart the United States, but they will not be released from detention before doing so. They will remain detained until they are removed under the order. They are not permitted relea...

Time after time the phone in my office rings with the same story. “My husband / fiancé/ brother/ friend/ cousin was just arrested…we went down and paid the bond at the jail but we told that we couldn’t get him out because immigration has a hold on him. Is there any way we can get him out…?” My hear sinks with each phone call and I gear myself up to give them the bad news. “Well the problem is immigration will not consider giving him a bond until all his criminal issues are resolved. Once all his criminal issues are taken care of, meaning his charges are dismissed or he is found guilty and serves his time in jail, immigration then has 48 hours to come pick him up and place him in their custody. Once he is in immigration custody immigration might consider giving him a bond. A lot of it depends on what happens during his criminal case. When immigration is considering giving someone a bond they look at their criminal history, ties to the community, possible relief under immigration law...