Beyond Bond & Legal Defense Fund FAQ
Who can the bond fund help?
The Beyond Bond & Legal Defense Fund** contributes to immigration bond for people with a connection to the state of Massachusetts (detained in MA, living in MA, with immigration court in MA) when we have the funds. If you are looking for help paying an immigration bond and have a connection to Massachusetts, contact us.
What is an immigration bond?
An immigration bond is an amount of money set by either an ICE officer or an immigration judge. If someone can pay the bond, they are released. The bond money is paid to the Department of Homeland Security. The bond money is returned if the conditions of the bond are met. Many studies show that immigration bond amount has no impact on whether people attend their court dates. We consider bonds a ransom that we pay for our community members and we organize for a day when we never pay another immigration bond to DHS because all people are free.
What is the typical bond for immigration cases?
Bonds range from $1,500 to more than $30,000 per person. This is unattainable for many people, leaving people in jail, unable to support their families, and cut off from outside communication to seek immigration relief. Like cash bail in the criminal punishment system, the immigration prison system is also a system of caging based on wealth.
What are the consequences of not being able to pay immigration bond?
When someone has an immigration bond set but cannot pay it, they remain incarcerated. Immigration jail is dehumanizing and violent as there is no access to adequate nutrition, humane medical care and basic hygiene. For-profit companies charge exorbitant rates for phone calls, clothes, food and other necessities. For families, loss of the income that their loved one was making can create hardship and crisis, including homelessness. Legally, cases proceed more quickly in detention, leaving people with both less time and more barriers to accessing the evidence needed for one’s immigration case while incarcerated. There is a much higher chance of a favorable outcome (continued permission to remain in the US and reunited families) for people who have legal representation, post bond, and appear in court accompanied by their lawyer.
How does the bond fund work?
Money is donated to the The Beyond Bond & Legal Defense Fund, a 501c3 non-profit. Requests for bond support come from families, partners, networks, attorneys and directly from people who are detained. Volunteers with the BIJAN community network pay immigration bonds at the Burlington, MA ICE office and the people with posted bonds are released from ICE jail. If the Bond Fund has sufficient funds to contribute, we help pay immigration bonds for anyone with a connection to Massachusetts. When we have more requests than we can fund, we base our timelines on the urgency of the legal situation.
How does ICE show up in Massachusetts?
People are incarcerated in ICE custody in Massachusetts in Plymouth County HOC and Franklin County HOC. Massachusetts residents are also often imprisoned at the Wyatt Detention Center in Rhode Island and Strafford County HOC in New Hampshire. We organize and provide accompaniment in collaboration with our regional partners. ICE enforcement is a violent presence in our communities in Massachusetts, even in so-called Sanctuary Cities. The vast majority of local police departments in Massachusetts actively share information and collaborate with ICE.
Are people in ICE custody guaranteed a lawyer?
No. Unlike in criminal proceedings, people facing deportation are not entitled to free legal counsel. This includes children. Many detained people face immigration court alone, without the benefit of a lawyer, and without any knowledge of relief they might be eligible for. Legal representation in immigration court vastly improves outcomes.
How else can I support this work?
To get involved in the Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network sign up at www.beyondbondboston.org/join, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
For more information
Email info@BeyondBondBoston.org or call 617-396-7143 (this number is for people who are not detained).
Can you also help to pay bail for someone incarcerated in the criminal punishment system?
No, but please contact our partners at The Massachusetts Bail Fund if you need bail assistance for someone incarcerated in the criminal punishment system.
** What is the difference between BIJAN and the Bond Fund?
The Beyond Bond & Legal Defense Fund is a separate project incubated by the Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network (BIJAN).
BBLDF is a member of the National Bail Fund Network and is committed to NBFN’s abolitionist principles.
BIJAN is a network of volunteers that has many decentralized teams that are aligned with our values including teams that accompany in court, send letters, provide home hospitality, coordinate donations, provide legal resources, fundraise, pay bonds, organize to build power and more. BIJAN is not a direct service organization. A volunteer core team coordinates efforts.
BIJAN takes political leadership from an evolving group of organizations in our ecosystem who share our values and a vision of a world free of policing, prisons and borders including, MA Jobs with Justice, Families for Justice as Healing, Deeper than Water, the Massachusetts Bail Fund, Muslim Justice League, Asian American Resource Workshop, Black and Pink, Cosecha Massachusetts, ECCO, AMOR, CT Bail Fund and more. BIJAN shares financial and volunteer capacity when possible!