Subject: Re: Appaling
I have often wondered if these people are held in custody until being physically deported or are they let loose for some period to clean up their affairs and then self deport. You have a knack for administrative details, so do you happen to know anything about this question?

I don't. I would suspect it varies from case to case, much like in the criminal justice system. In the domestic criminal courts, some defendants are taken straight from verdict (or sentencing) into custody, others are sentenced and given a later date to report to prison to begin their sentence. I imagine that the same is true in immigration court, and certainly for the folks who are given an order for voluntary departure (rather than a government removal flight).