Can someone in immigration detention still work or earn income?

Generally, no, someone held in immigration detention cannot work or earn income in the ordinary sense while detained, since detention itself restricts a person's ability to leave the facility and engage in employment, regardless of whatever work authorization they may otherwise hold. Any existing work permit doesn't provide a right to work while physically detained.

This is one of the practical, and often serious, consequences of detention that goes beyond the loss of liberty itself — ongoing financial obligations, family support responsibilities, and employment relationships can all be seriously disrupted by even a relatively short period of detention, which is part of why the availability of reasonable alternatives to detention is such an important factor at every detention review. The inability to work and earn income is a real hardship that can be raised as part of the broader case for release.

Because the financial consequences of detention can compound quickly and affect family members who depend on the detained person's income, anyone facing detention, or supporting someone who is, should raise these consequences concretely as part of the release argument, with specific evidence of the impact, rather than treating them as a secondary concern.