Maryville Immigration Bond Lawyers
Helping immigrants in detention centers secure bonds for their release in Maryville, TN
It’s scary to be taken into an ICE detention center. Whether you or someone you care for is in the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville or the South Central Correctional Center in Clifton, it can be hard to think about what to do. Some detainees may even agree to a “voluntary removal,” thinking this will help secure their freedom – but instead will force them out of the country for five years or more. At LaFevor & Slaughter, our Maryville immigration bond lawyers help detained immigrants determine whether they can be released on an immigration bond. If you are eligible, we help you and your family secure the bond through our advocacy and understanding of the bond process.
How can our Maryville immigration lawyers help?
What is an ICE hold?
A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hold, known as an “immigration hold,” happens when a law enforcement official such as a Tennessee or Maryville police officer arrests someone or stops them for a traffic offense and then runs a criminal background check. If the background check (usually conducted by entering the person’s fingerprints in a database) shows that the person may be eligible for deportation/removal, ICE may request that the law enforcement official “hold” the person in custody.
An ICE hold doesn’t mean the person stopped will be deported. That person does have rights, which our Maryville immigration bond lawyers can assert.
ICE holds can only last for 48 hours after an arrest, as long as there are no other criminal charges. The hold can’t be longer because of “habeas corpus” which requires that a person in custody has the right to have a judge decide if he/she should stay in custody. Our immigration lawyers understand how to file a habeas corpus petition. If an immigrant is charged with a crime, the 48-hour hold only begins after the disposition of the criminal case.
Who can be detained in an ICE hold?
If the judge decides that removal may be warranted and the government agrees to seek deportation for any person (whether they are on hold or not), the government can request an immigrant be detained until his/her deportation hearing – unless a bond is approved and provided for.
Generally, a person in Tennessee who is detained while his/her deportation case is pending is detained in one of Tennessee’s two immigration detention centers. Many of the people held in these detention centers either entered America without authorization, entered legally but overstayed their visas, or violated an immigration law.
What conditions can detainees use to request their release in Maryville?
In Tennessee, ICE may agree to release a detainee if the detainee (or someone on his/her behalf) pays a bond. A detainee could also be released if ICE agrees to parole.
- If ICE approves a bond, the detainee or helper needs to pay a fee to cover the terms of the bond. An immigration judge determines the amount of the bond.
- Parole means that the person released will be supervised and agrees not to violate any laws while on parole. Similar release arrangements may include supervised release programs that supervise the immigrant but also provide help and resources for the immigrant.
Detainees may also be released pursuant to a court order.
If circumstances change, can any of the Maryville family law orders be modified?
The needs of your children always come first. For this reason, child custody and child support orders can be modified if circumstances change – such as when one spouse/co-parent is fired or obtains a better job, needs to relocate, or remarries – or if your child has special needs. The change in circumstance must be substantial.
Alimony orders may also be subject to modification if the ability to earn a living of either spouse changes, the spouse receiving alimony remarries, or for other reasons.
How do you help detainees obtain an ICE bond in Maryville?
A Department of Homeland Security judge normally sets the amount of the bond (which is comparable to setting bail in a criminal case). The bond secures the release of the detainee. If your relative is in custody because he/she committed a crime – which led to the formal petition to remove your relative – then you will need to pay twice:
- The first payment is the criminal bond
- The second payment is the immigration bond
Immigration bonds normally range between $1,500 and $20,000. The immigration judge, when deciding the amount of the bond, will consider whether the detainee:
- Entered the country illegally
- Is in compliance/noncompliance with any visa requirements
- Is likely to appear at the deportation hearing or any other immigration hearing
- Is a danger to society
- Has a stable source of income, such as a job
- Has a criminal record
- Or someone on behalf of the detained can pay the amount of the bond
- Is eligible for relief from deportation
The DHS lawyer will likely deny a request for bond if the detainee is a flight risk or has planned or committed to commit an act of terrorism.
In some cases, the immigration judge may set a bond amount but make it so high that the immigrant or the immigrant’s family cannot afford to pay the bond amount.
If a family member pays the bond, and the person in custody appears at the hearing, then that family does get his/her money back. If the person in custody fails to show, the government keeps the money.
Our Maryville immigration bond lawyers can help family members find and negotiate with immigration bondsmen who pay the bond in return for a cash payment in the amount of 20-30 percent of the bond.
At LaFevor and Slaughter, our Maryville immigration lawyers work to obtain the release from custody of an immigrant who is facing deportation or other immigration violations. We then work to obtain relief from the deportation request by ICE and contest the other immigration violations. We represent clients who are detained and facing deportation in Atlanta and Memphis – in immigration hearings and cases before the Board of Immigration Appeals.
Do you have a Maryville immigration bond lawyer near me?
At LaFevor & Slaughter, our Maryville immigration bond lawyers meet immigrants and families at our office located at 317 Ellis Ave., Suite 317. If necessary, our immigration attorneys meet detainees at the detention center where they’re confined. We’re strong advocates for immigrants living abroad, in Tennessee, and who are being detained.
Talk with a respected Maryville immigration bond attorney today
It’s bad enough that you may be deported – never to see your family or America again or not to see them for at least five years. It’s worse, being detained while you or a family member is trying to fight deportation. LaFevor & Slaughter offers comprehensive advice to immigrants including working to obtain ICE bonds and fight deportation. To schedule an appointment, please call us or complete our contact form today.