EP #218: Veronica Salgado with US Immigration Bonds and Insurance Services
Mar 11, 2024
Jeremy Wolf
Have you ever pondered the price of freedom for those entangled in the US immigration system? Join Veronica Salgado and me as we unravel the intricacies of immigration bonds, a lifeline essential for individuals navigating the complexities of legal status adjustment. Veronica, from US Immigration Bonds and Insurance Services, brings a wealth of knowledge and compassion to the table, providing an insider's look into the process that bonds individuals out of detention. Whether seeking asylum or facing charges, hear the personal tales and understand the vital connection between financial support from loved ones and the release from ICE custody.
This episode isn't just about the cold hard facts of immigration bonds—it's a journey of human stories, patience, and the pursuit of unity. My own immigrant experience intertwines with our discussion, offering a perspective that goes beyond the business; it's about empathy and the shared dream of a better life. Veronica and I dissect the slow gears of government procedure, the dangers of fraud in desperate times, and the absolute necessity of professional guidance. Our commitment at US Immigration Bonds is clear: to deliver personalized service that underscores the importance of each client's well-being and the fundamental goal of reuniting families.
Have you ever pondered the price of freedom for those entangled in the US immigration system? Join Veronica Salgado and me as we unravel the intricacies of immigration bonds, a lifeline essential for individuals navigating the complexities of legal status adjustment. Veronica, from US Immigration Bonds and Insurance Services, brings a wealth of knowledge and compassion to the table, providing an insider's look into the process that bonds individuals out of detention. Whether seeking asylum or facing charges, hear the personal tales and understand the vital connection between financial support from loved ones and the release from ICE custody.
This episode isn't just about the cold hard facts of immigration bonds—it's a journey of human stories, patience, and the pursuit of unity. My own immigrant experience intertwines with our discussion, offering a perspective that goes beyond the business; it's about empathy and the shared dream of a better life. Veronica and I dissect the slow gears of government procedure, the dangers of fraud in desperate times, and the absolute necessity of professional guidance. Our commitment at US Immigration Bonds is clear: to deliver personalized service that underscores the importance of each client's well-being and the fundamental goal of reuniting families.
This is the Good Neighbor podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Jeremy Wolff.
Speaker 2:
Hello, hello everyone, and welcome back to the Good Neighbor podcast. I'm your host, jeremy Wolff, and today I'm joined by Veronica Salgado with US Immigration Bonds and Insurance Services. Now I've done quite a few of these interviews over 200 local business owners and most of them own businesses and run businesses that really need no explanation of what they do. But, veronica, what the heck is an immigration bond?
Speaker 3:
Well, thank you for having me. I'll be happy to answer that question, and it's a question I get daily, multiple times a day. So I mean, it's the price of freedom. That's what it is the immigration bond is basically. It's the power for somebody who is seeking a better life in the United States, who needs to pay up in order to be released from detention so that they can complete their legal status here in the United States. It's a very rewarding business, but it's a bit tricky. Let me talk about money.
Speaker 2:
So how does one find themselves within the custody of US Immigration Customs Enforcement? How does that happen?
Speaker 3:
That is a great question, and it's mostly unfortunate situations. So we have a lot of people who are seeking asylum. Perhaps they're just looking for a better life, but, as I said, cash is king and the price of freedom is not low. So what they will do? Sometimes they will enter the country illegally and they will surrender themselves into the custody of immigration for processing, and so they're required to pay this bond in order to continue their case out of custody. We also have individuals who are already here in the United States, who are not naturalized. They're just residents, may have found themselves in a criminal situation, and so the immigration service wants them to process them. And that's pretty much the gist of it. Just immigrants who are trying to look for a better life, and they just happen to go about it the wrong way, so they ended up in detention.
Speaker 2:
Okay, so somebody unfortunately falls into this situation and they find themselves in custody with ICE. What next? What do they do then? How do they go about arranging to get released? Because I could imagine if you're here from another country I mean, if you just came over maybe people don't have family here, or maybe they have been living here and they do have family Like, how do you go about securing an immigration bond so that you can be released?
Speaker 3:
Sure, essentially all of the calls that we will get, the majority I would say about 98% of the calls are from family members and friends who the detainee has already contacted to let them know that they are requiring to pay this bond. And so for the most part, really, it comes from the detainee themselves. As they are going through the process, they are learning about it. What our job entails is to inform the families and what comes through the process. Maybe we like to offer a gold standard service because we know it's a tough situation and having to come up with money and it's very tricky. So we have kind of become the gold standard to reunite families and the way that we secure these bonds. They can provide properties, such as real estate, credit cards or assets. They can also provide cash. We have flexibility of payment plans. So they have really we have products to serve different levels of people in the community depending on their financial status, but they definitely do require assistance from a third party to post a bond and transact that with us.
Speaker 2:
So I know your office is in Fort Lauderdale. Do you handle exclusively cases in Florida, or is this something that you help people throughout the whole country? How does that work for you guys, because it's obviously a federal situation, right this?
Speaker 3:
is regulated by the federal government. Absolutely. We are in historic downtown Fort Lauderdale beautiful outside today, by the way and yeah, we do offer services nationwide. Thank God for the digital services that we all enjoy, and especially since COVID. We had to maneuver a lot, but we are able to offer services all throughout the 50 states and we even deal with international clients as well.
Speaker 2:
Okay. So aside from posting a bond with a company like US Immigration Bonds, are there any other ways to get released from custody? And something like that also. I will be releasing in a bit before we find…" pay the government directly, let's say. Or what if they can't afford to pay a bond? What happens? Do they sit there in custody for an undetermined amount of time? Do they just get deported? How does that process work?
Speaker 3:
Yeah, that's a bit tricky. So to address the last question, if they are unable to postpone, they are detained until their case is resolved. For the most part, immigration does give priority to cases of detained individuals because they don't want to house them and keep them there for as long as you know, right. And then for you know what was the other part of the question, I'm sorry. The first part.
Speaker 2:
Aside from going to a bonding company such as US Immigration Bonds, is there another avenue for folks to? For instance, can they give the money directly to the government?
Speaker 3:
They could. But you know the government is not really my favorite place to put my money. They definitely have that option. You have to jump through a few hoops but yes, they can't contact their immigration office and ask them how to go ahead and pay that bond directly to the government. You know, the benefit of using an agency like ours really is the customer service. We have a long history in the business so we've been through the hoops and really what you are paying for is that service. You may not know that there is a notice that you need to attend to and then all of a sudden you can't get your money back from the government or you owe taxes to the government. Now that money that you posted for bond you're not going to get back because they're going to want it. But you know it is an option, generally not something I would recommend, but yeah, they can. They can do that if they so wish.
Speaker 2:
Interesting, interesting. So how did you get into this business? I'm hearing a lot about what you're talking about. It sounds like an immigration bond is, I guess, similar to a bail bond.
Speaker 3:
What is it? It is similar to a bail bond.
Speaker 2:
Yes, Well, first there are some distinctions between your typical like somebody gets arrested, they're going to do I and they go to jail. They got a post bond right, Post bail versus an immigration bond. And then we can get into the backstory how you got into this business.
Speaker 3:
Sure. So a bail bond is, you know, your typical DUI domestic violence, any kind of criminal offense and those generally you just pay a percentage of the bond. You may or may not have to pay collateral, depending on the amount of the bond that you're posting, because it's a local situation. So if the person that you're bonding out happens to skip, you can just locally pick them up and take them into the county For immigration, though it's a bit more complex. It is an appearance bond. It's not so easy to get a cancellation of that bond, so it definitely needs to be collateralized. It has to be guaranteed in full, because if the person does not show up and do what they need to do, immigration is going to come knocking for their money. So that's the main difference there. We focus primarily on the immigration portion.
Speaker 2:
So we're dealing with the federal.
Speaker 3:
As far as how I got into the business, you know it was destiny. I answered a newspaper ad for a receptionist and I worked there for a little bit. The owner, I guess she, saw something in me and she started teaching me what it was about the bail bonds business because she was transacting in those. And then we moved into the immigration and you know, being an immigrant myself, I found it fascinating. I found it it was really easy to be empathetic with people and to really put myself in their shoes and give them again that gold standard service that we're known for, because we're all humans, you know, we all go through that hardship. So it was very relatable for me.
Speaker 2:
Is there any specific license required to transact an immigration bond or does that operate under the same license that, say, a bail bond agent would need? How does that work?
Speaker 3:
So you would need a 220 property and cash will team and, oddly enough, you know that covers a lot under the insurance umbrella. However, within that, it covers a surety bonds. So, yeah, the same thing a bail agent would need, but this is specific as well to our field. We're highly regulated.
Speaker 2:
So you mentioned just a moment ago you were talking about. You mentioned the word hardship, so I wanted you to look back through your journey. Going back, is there something that comes to mind, something that you struggled with personally, a life, hardship, a challenge that, sitting here today, you could say you're grateful for having experienced, or it made you a better person, or it was a defining moment? If you will, Absolutely.
Speaker 3:
So I came to the United States very young I was 10 years old, you know and at that time I had this illusion, right, oh, I'm gonna go to Florida, a Disney world, you know from a kid's perspective. And then, once I arrived, it was obviously a culture shock. I didn't speak the language, but it gave me this ability to adapt and to navigate the world around me despite you know what might be different. It allowed me to be a lot more empathetic to people and so, you know, I think that translated very well into what I do now for the business because, as I said, I've been through. I mean, I've never been detained, but I have been an immigrant. So I know what it is to be in a country you don't speak the language, you don't know what is going on, you kind of always depending on somebody to lean on. That's been through that experience. So that challenge has been a blessing in disguise and I'm very grateful for it.
Speaker 2:
What advice could you give to someone out there anyone listening that finds a loved one in custody? Maybe it's with ICE, maybe it's, you know, on a criminal offense, whatever it is, but they're in custody, they're frantic, they're worried, they don't know what to do. You know, what advice could you give to them, what tips on how to navigate that process? Cause I'd imagine that could be a really stressful and emotional process for somebody.
Speaker 3:
Absolutely. So the first thing is take a deep breath, maybe take three. Nothing with immigration will be fast. As we know, the government moves very slowly and it's a tactic that they use. So generally I'll advise my clients be patient, try to inform yourself too much, but, you know, don't over web MD yourself. Seek advice from people who not just have been through it, but actual legal representation, so they can give you the correct information. Seek out those professionals in the field, whether it's an immigration attorney or an immigration bondsman, so that we can guide you properly, because there are a lot of people you know who are taking advantage of people who are in these situations and you know there's a lot of fraud. So definitely make some phone calls, educate yourself and, you know, come with us, because you know we're the gold standard and we'll never fear you're wrong. And be patient, be very patient.
Speaker 2:
Patience is a virtue, Something that I've learned on the North side of 40, right, you gotta be patient in this life. Good things come to you, but not when you. When you're frantically obsessed with everything. You gotta kind of take a deep breath and relax, like you said, be in the present and be grateful, even in difficult situations. Right, Gratitude is very helpful.
Speaker 3:
Especially yes, especially in difficult situations. Sometimes we go into our fight or flight and you're like just put the fist down, just stop, just take a deep breath, reset and everything's going to be OK. Like you said, patience is a virtue. It's not easy to come around, but if you're in this position, you must be getting tested for that. So let's excel.
Speaker 2:
So what would be the one thing that you'd like to leave our listeners with? That you'd like for them to know about US immigration bonds?
Speaker 3:
Here at US immigration bonds, we're not going to treat you like a number. It's not a revolving door where we just want to get your money and get you off our phones. We actually do take the time to get to know our clients, so you're going to get a personal touch, a personal experience, and if you at any point have an inquiries, we're going to be here, available for you to guide you through the process, and we are also going to make the process to get your money back as easy as possible and really, at the end of the day, that's what we're all about Happy customers, reuniting families. We are our family here. This was a family business, so we like to pass that on to our clientele.
Speaker 2:
So for anyone out there that happens to be listening that finds themselves in this horrific situation where their loved one is detained and they need help, how could they learn more? How can we reach you, guys?
Speaker 3:
So you can visit our website usimmigrationbondscom. You can also contact our office at 954-513-4611. And one of our dedicated agents will be happy to walk you through any questions or concerns you might have.
Speaker 2:
Perfect, and we will, of course, link in the description below to all of your contact information. Veronica, thank you so much for joining us today. It was a pleasure having you on and learning all about what you do, so thanks for joining us.
Speaker 3:
Thank you so much for having me. It's been a pleasure talking to you. Hope you have a beautiful day.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, have a great weekend everybody. Thanks for tuning in and we will catch you next time. Everyone take care. Have a wonderful day.
Speaker 1:
Thanks for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast Cooper City. To nominate your favorite local business to be featured on the show, Go to GNPcooperCitycom. That's GNPcooperCitycom, or call 954-231-3170.