How to find someone detained by ICE

When a family member is picked up by immigration, the first hours are confusing. Here is how to locate them, what information you need, how to contact the facility, and what to do in the first week.

The first hours

When someone is arrested by ICE or by Border Patrol, they are usually taken first to a local holding area or a field office, then moved to a detention center that can be in another state. For the first day or two they may not appear in any system. That is normal and does not mean something went wrong. Keep calm, write down everything you know, and start the steps below.

This is an urgent situation. Decisions about release, bond, and even removal can happen in the first days, and people with prior removal orders can be removed very quickly. Start today.

Gather what you know

Before you search, collect:

The person's full legal name exactly as it appears on their documents, including both last names if they use two.
Date of birth.
Country of birth.
The A-number (alien registration number), nine digits, if they ever had one. It appears on work permits, green cards, old immigration papers, or a prior Notice to Appear. If they never had contact with immigration, they may not have one yet.
Where and when they were arrested, and by which agency (ICE, Border Patrol, local police holding them for ICE).

Spelling matters. If the first search fails, try the names in a different order, with and without the second last name, and with common misspellings.

Use the ICE detainee locator

The ICE Online Detainee Locator System (locator.ice.gov) is free and public. You can search two ways:

By A-number and country of birth, or
By name, country of birth, and date of birth.

If found, the system shows the person's name, the facility where they are held, and the facility's contact information. If it says "no record," wait several hours and try again; new detainees appear after they are processed into a facility, which can take one to three days. The locator does not show people under 18, people held by local police before ICE takes custody, or people held by Customs and Border Protection at the border before transfer.

When the locator shows nothing

Call the ICE field office for the area where the person was arrested. The field office list is on ice.gov. Ask the deportation officer's desk whether the person is in ICE custody and where.
If the arrest was by local police, call the county jail and ask whether there is an "ICE hold" or detainer. Ask when ICE is expected to take custody.
If the arrest was near the border, the person may be in a Border Patrol station, which is not in the locator. Those stays are usually short before transfer to ICE.
Check the immigration court system (acis.eoir.justice.gov or 1-800-898-7180) with the A-number. If a case has been filed, it shows the court, which tells you the region.

Contacting the person

Detainees can make outgoing calls but usually cannot receive them. Each facility has its own phone system and rules about adding money to a phone account. Find the facility on the ICE detention facilities page (ice.gov/detain/detention-facilities) and read its visiting and phone instructions. Set up a phone account early so the person can call you.

When they call, ask:

Their A-number (they can see it on their wristband or paperwork).
Whether they have a court date and where.
Whether they signed anything. Tell them not to sign anything they do not understand, especially anything called "stipulated removal," "voluntary return," or a waiver of a hearing.
Whether they were given a "credible fear" interview or asked about fear of returning to their country. If they are afraid to return, they must say so clearly to every officer.
Whether ICE set a bond amount or said "no bond."

Documents to start gathering

Whether the goal is a bond hearing, a request for release, or the court case itself, the same documents help:

Proof of identity: passport, birth certificate, consular ID.
Proof of how long they have lived in the U.S.: leases, bills, school records, tax returns, pay stubs.
Proof of family ties: birth certificates of U.S. citizen or resident children, marriage certificate, spouse's status documents.
Letters of support from employers, religious leaders, neighbors, with the writer's contact information.
Any medical records showing a condition that detention makes worse.
The person's criminal history, if any, including dispositions. Do not guess; get the court records.

Common mistakes

Giving up after the first "no record" result. Keep checking for several days.
Paying someone who promises a quick release. No one can guarantee that. Verify any "notario" or consultant before paying anything.
Encouraging the person to sign for "voluntary departure" to get out faster. It can mean giving up strong defenses.
Sending original documents to the facility. Send copies; keep originals.
Not updating the family's own records of the hearing date. Detained cases move fast and hearings can be set within days or weeks.

How Claudette helps with this

Claudette guides the family through the locator search and keeps a shared record of the facility, the deportation officer, the A-number, and each call. She builds the document plan for a bond or release request, drafts the declaration of the detained person and the letters of support with the family, and in the Court Room tracks the detained docket so a hearing date set on short notice is never missed.