ICE Targets ‘Sanctuary’ Jurisdictions in Revised Bond Guidelines

Immigration and Customs Enforcement will seek out “sanctuary” jurisdictions in revised immigration bond guidelines, according to a notice published today. ICE will change an immigration bond form to clarify that a bond will not be canceled simply because an immigrant has been held in a jurisdiction’s custody for more than 30 days. Instead, it will remain in effect unless ICE takes the person directly into custody from federal, state or local authorities, as reported by Politico.

The agency said the change was needed because certain jurisdictions refused to honor requests to hold suspected immigration offenders beyond their release time so that ICE could take them into custody. The bonds — which can be issued by ICE or by a federal immigration judge — aim to ensure aliens attend future court dates and depart from the U.S. when ordered to do so.

The cost of immigration bonds has soared in the past decade. In fiscal year 2006, the median cost of an immigration bond was $50, according to data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. The figure jumped to $5,000 in fiscal year 2008 and stands at $8,000 in the current fiscal year.

ICE will allow 60 days for public comment on the changes to the bond form, a period that begins Tuesday when the notice is formally published in the Federal Register.