Advocates in Kentucky and across the country have railed against the current cash bail system used in America for years. The argument is that this system keeps people accused of a criminal offense in jail for months or years without a conviction simply because they do not possess the money to secure their release. A study conducted by the Prison Policy Institute demonstrated that 465,000 people remain in jail each day under these circumstances.
A similar system is in place for people who find themselves in the immigration detention system. Only in this instance, the cash payments needed to become free from incarceration are known as immigration bonds. Many thousands of adults and children are in this position and remain in a detention center because no one in their circle of family and friends can produce the money to purchase their freedom.
The Bail Project, People City Council Freedom, and other bail funds began to help people who are in jail because they do not have money. However, there is not much support for immigrants who find themselves in similar positions.
Freedom for Immigrants was started in 2010 and helps immigrants with money to pay immigration bonds as well as post-release services to help them adjust while awaiting a judgment from immigration services. The national hotline set up by the organization receives anywhere from 600 to over 14,000 calls on a given day. Freedom for Immigrants is one of a handful of organizations providing immigration bond assistance as part of the Community Justice Exchange.
The immigration system in America includes complex regulations that can make the process difficult for immigrants and their families to navigate on their own. Immigrants with questions regarding the immigration process as a whole or their particular situation may find the answers they need by speaking with an immigration attorney.