For some detained immigrants, ICE or the judge may release you “on your own recognizance”, which means you do not have to post an immigration bond. Usually though, ICE or the immigration judge sets a bond amount, the minimum being $1,500. If you are released on bond and later do not appear for your immigration hearing, you will forfeit the amount of your bond and be taken back into ICE custody. You may have already had a hearing and the judge set a bond amount that you cannot pay. In this case, your legal counsel can request a redetermination of the bond amount for you. A resourceful bond hearing attorney can assist you to request a waiver of the bond or to get a bond determination that you can afford to pay.