Support Pittsburgh Immigrants: Create a Bond Fund

Want to join us in making a difference within Pittsburgh? Fox Chapel Spanish Club and Latinx Heritage Club are raising money to develop a bond program within our local immigrant community. We are partnering with the local nonprofit organization Casa San Jose to host our program, which is described below.

What is a bond?

A bond is a type of bail that can be posted to ensure that a non-citizen shows up for his or her bond hearing or court date. It's also called a "deportation bond" and is typically paid to ICE.

A bond can be posted in one of two ways:

1) A non-citizen can pay the full amount upfront; or,

2) A non-citizen can pay a fee to an immigration bondsman, who will then post the full bond amount.

However, without the ability to pay a bond, longtime lawful permanent residents, asylum seekers and undocumented immigrants who may be eligible for relief from deportation are forced to languish in immigration detention. While in detention, many fall victim to predatory bail bond companies.

How does our bond program work?

A bond can be posted a third way, where an intermediary posts the bond with no intention of charging interest. Our bond fund will serve as this intermediary, providing immigrants release from unnecessary long periods of detainment and returning them to their families without exploitative rates.

Your donation will make a difference indefinitely, as our program recycles each bond payment back into the rotating fund. The $4000 goal would be the collateral that allows for the release of one individual from detention on bail, but the money would then be reused to grant repeated relief for our Pittsburgh immigrant neighbors.

Why donate?

Pittsburgh began as a city of immigrants, and it still is. As Pittsburghers, we have a duty to our community to support and protect our neighbors, especially those susceptible to exploitation. Your donation will serve both as a lifeline to our non-English speaking neighbors and as a tool toward the development of a diverse and inclusive Pittsburgh.