Continued: 10 women detained in Iowa immigration raid released

A message for Parras Konrad by The Associated Press on Thursday was not immediately returned.

The federal immigration court, formally the Executive Office for Immigration Review, is under the U.S. Department of Justice.

Court spokeswoman Elaine Komis said Thursday that under voluntary departure a person can voluntary leave the country within a specific period and is not subject to penalties against returning to the U.S. legally.

If a person is removed, or deported, and wants to return to the U.S., there are certain restrictions limiting their ability to enter the country. Komis said in some cases, people can be permanently barred from returning.

"That's the benefit of obtaining a ruling of voluntary departure rather than removal," she said.

The Rev. Lloyd Paul Ouderkirk of St. Bridget's Roman Catholic Church in Postville, said two of the women have returned to their home countries. He said officials at the church, which helped the women with housing and food, were told by lawyers not to name the immigrants.

Ouderkirk said he wished the women could have remained.

"It's a sad feeling, even if it's progress for these women," he said. "We've supported them and gotten to know them. They're going home, but it's our loss, too."