The Price Of Bail Bonds For Immigrants Is Growing, Data Shows

The prices on bail bonds for illegal immigrants has been surging, and those costs could be having an effect on crowding in Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s detention centers, according to data from Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.

Bail bonds in 2005 that judges issued for illegal migrants were all less than $2,000, Axios reported, citing the TRAC data.

About 5% of bail bonds were under $2,000 as of last fiscal year, and 40% of bail bonds were at least $10,000, the data shows.

This surge could be playing a role in the overcrowding at some ICE facilities, according to Axios. Asylum seekers and undocumented migrants receive court dates in the United States, but before going to court it is up to ICE to decide if they will be detained before their scheduled court appearance.

ICE also decides on a case-by-case basis who qualifies for bail and what that amount should be, Axios reported.

“If [ICE] sets it at $50,000, reducing it to $5,000 is extreme,” said Dana Leigh Marks, an immigration judge.

President Donald Trump has been against the “catch and release” idea in the past, which allows illegal immigrants and asylum seekers to be freed into the United States until their day in court. The Trump administration recently tried to prevent those seeking asylum from receiving bail, but the measure was blocked in court, Axios reported.

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Another reason for the increase in number and cost of bail bond may be that some ICE detention facilities are run by private companies. Their contracts with ICE typically include a minimum guaranteed number of beds that are filled, according to Axios.

There is $200 million in bond money that has not be claimed or returned to immigrants after the case finishes. This is an all-time high, and many immigrants have not claimed the money despite having a year or more to do so.

ICE did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.