What comes after a bond hearing?

This is information, not legal advice.

This guide explains the general rules. What they mean for your family member depends on their circumstances. Answer a few questions to check their situation.

If bond was granted at an amount you can pay

Someone who is a U.S. citizen or green card holder pays it to ICE. That person is the “obligor,” and they are promising ICE that the detained person will show up whenever ICE demands. Almost all bonds are now posted online through CeBONDS, by bank transfer, in English or Spanish. The step-by-step is in how to pay an immigration bond.

• Timing. ICE posts bonds Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the detained person’s time zone. Verification takes about one to two hours, and release usually follows by the end of the day after approval (ICE).
• Pickup. Call the facility before anyone drives. Releases can happen late in the day and sometimes at a bus station rather than the facility gate.
• Paperwork. Keep the Form I-352 and the receipt (Form I-305). The refund at the end of the case depends on them. See getting the bond money back.

If the government appeals the bond

A grant is not always the end. The government lawyer can file a notice of intent to appeal (Form EOIR-43) within one business day of the decision. That triggers an automatic stay: the person stays detained even though the judge set bond, while the Board of Immigration Appeals reviews it (8 C.F.R. § 1003.6(c)). The government then has ten business days to file the actual appeal.

If that happens, the detained person can still answer the appeal. If the stay drags on, a federal habeas corpus petition can ask a district judge to order release.

If bond was set higher than you can pay

• Ask for a lower amount. A new request is allowed when circumstances have changed materially since the decision (8 C.F.R. § 1003.19(e)). It must be in writing and say what changed: a new sponsor, stable housing, a job offer, proof of what the family can actually pay.
• Community bond funds. Nonprofit funds post bonds for families who cannot. Each has its own rules and waiting list. See bond funds.
• A bail bond company. A surety company posts the bond for a fee you do not get back, often with collateral and sometimes with an ankle monitor. Read how immigration bail bonds work before signing anything.
• Appeal the amount. The Board of Immigration Appeals can lower a bond. The appeal must arrive within 30 days (8 C.F.R. § 1003.38). Appeals are slow and rarely change amounts, so most families work on the options above at the same time.

If bond was denied

Find out why. The answer decides the next step.

• The judge said they had no power to set bond. That is a jurisdiction ruling, usually because of mandatory detention or ICE’s 2025 no-bond policy. If the person is held in a circuit that has rejected that policy, say so and name the case. If not, the route is a federal habeas petition. See did ICE end bond hearings?
• The judge found the person a danger or flight risk. Gather what was missing and ask again once something has materially changed. Charges dismissed, a completed program, or a new sponsor are the kinds of changes that count.
• Appeal. The Board of Immigration Appeals reviews bond denials too, on the same 30-day deadline, using Form EOIR-26.
• Detention that goes on for many months can itself become the argument. Courts in many places have ordered bond hearings after prolonged detention on due-process grounds. That is also done by habeas.

After release: the case is not over

Bond buys time at home. It does not end the deportation case. To keep the bond and the case alive:

• Move the case closer to home. Before leaving, the detained person can file a motion to change venue, so future hearings happen at the immigration court near where they will live, not the detention court.
• Report the new address twice. To the immigration court on Form EOIR-33 within five working days, and to DHS on Form AR-11 within ten days. They are separate systems.
• Go to every hearing and every ICE check-in. A missed hearing usually means a removal order in the person’s absence, and ICE can then demand the person and keep the bond.
• Follow any conditions, such as an ankle monitor or the SmartLINK phone app. Violations can lead to re-detention.
• Check the case on EOIR’s automated case information or at 1-800-898-7180.

Questions people also ask

How long after the bond is paid is someone released?

ICE says verification takes about one to two hours, and release usually happens by the end of the day after the bond is approved. Bonds are posted Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the detained person’s time zone, so a bond paid late on a Friday can mean a weekend inside.

Can ICE keep someone detained after the judge grants bond?

Yes, for a while. If the government files a notice of intent to appeal within one business day, an automatic stay keeps the person detained while the Board of Immigration Appeals decides. That can take weeks. Federal habeas is the usual answer if it drags on.

Can you ask for a new bond hearing?

Yes, if circumstances have changed materially since the last decision. The new request has to be in writing and explain what changed: a new sponsor or address, charges dismissed, a new application for relief, a medical problem.

Does the deportation case end when someone is released on bond?

No. The case continues and the person must attend every hearing. Missing one usually means a removal order made in their absence and the loss of the bond money.

See which ways out are still open

Check your family member’s situation to see which release options may apply, what to do next, and which documents to gather.