Immigration attorneys were surprised at the recent rulings by a Tacoma Immigration Court denying bond to a mother separated from her children after she was deemed a flight risk by the judge. She was later released after her transfer from the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma to a facility in Texas.

Six other parents were also denied bond, which allows for a person to be released from detention in exchange for a fee while their case is being decided. Asylum seekers detained at the border and tried in the Tacoma Immigration Court can see the fee range from $2,500 to almost $15,000 if granted, a figure that is based solely on a judge's discretion. For asylum seekers running away from violence and separated away from their families, that number is often the only thing keeping them from their freedom and children.

According to a recent survey, the bond prices set by judges at the Tacoma Immigration Court for asylum seekers are 2x the national average. 

Read more on this report from the Seattle Times HERE.