The budget crisis in the Federal Government has led to a process known as sequestration. The government has furloughed government employees and otherwise reduced spending on governmental entities. One area where sequestration has been felt is in immigration proceedings. Many immigrants who were previously detained during their immigration proceedings have been and will be released from custody to save the Federal Government money.
The released individuals will still be subject to conditions of release and will have to check in with DHS (Department of Homeland Security) as a condition of their release. From a cost effective standpoint, it costs the federal government $186 per day to detain an immigrant. In comparison, it costs between 30 cents to $14 per day to release them on bond.
It remains to be seen how many more immigrants will be released from custody on conditions of bond. It also remains to be seen how sequestration will affect the backlog of cases in other immigration areas.