Let’s say there has been a raid on a house by the DHS or La Migra or whatever you want to call them. A family member of yours was staying in the house at the time of the raid and has spent the last two nights in jail. What should you do? Is it possible to post a bond so they get out on bail?
One of the first things the DHS is supposed to do after they make an arrest is determine whether the person they are holding is eligible for bond. But the DHS is stretched incredibly thin and weeks may go before they get around to doing what they are supposed to do right away.
This is another time when contacting an immigration lawyer can be very helpful. We can usually reach out to the right DHS authorities and find out who is bond eligible and who is not right away. There is a statute that waives the requirement for bond in some cases that may be helpful. Sometimes it requires little more than a nudge from a lawyer to make sure that your friend or relative is not left behind bars while the wheels of American justice slowly turn. Or if bond gets set too high we may be able to help by filing a motion for reduction.
3In short, there’s lots of ways we can help if a friend or family member gets picked up in a DHS raid. But you want to make sure you speak with a qualified immigration lawyer (instead of a criminal lawyer) whenever the Department of Homeland Security is involved.