Bond Scams and Avoiding Them

When someone in immigration detention is given the opportunity to be released on bond, it can be a mixed blessing. If the bond is too high, those desperate to be released may look for anyway to come up with the amount. This post addresses the problem of bond scams, and one well-know predatory company to avoid.

Those in detention are often targeted by companies who provide money, through a loan, for release on bond. Contracts with these companies can require the wearing of ankle monitors. The company most known for scamming people desperate to be released on bond is Libre by Nexus. They have offices nationwide, including one in El Paso, Texas. PLEASE DISCOURAGE ANYONE FROM ENGAGING IN A CONTRACT WITH THIS COMPANY.

Libre by Nexus often does not explain the finer points of an agreement with them. Their contracts tend to be in English, and not well-understood by non-English speakers. A person bonded out with their “help” has to pay $420 a month to lease their GPS ankle monitor. That $420 does NOT go toward paying the bond loan. It is an additional fee. In the end, people pay a lot more money to the company than they should. There are a number of red flags that have been raised about this company’s predatory practices.

Ankle monitors or GPS trackers of any kind are not solutions to immigration detention. Be aware that such technologies are touted as “alternatives to detention”. But they are not the kind of community-based alternatives for which we advocate. Libre by Nexus relies on fear to operate, but it is not clear that they can actually turn people over to ICE for not paying their tracking device “rental” fees. There are pending investigations against the company, and several articles have been written about them.