How Can You Tell if Someone Has an ICE Hold?

After a person is arrested by federal, state, or local law enforcement, they are typically taken directly to jail and will remain there until they are bailed out or their case resolves. When this person is an illegal immigrant; however, they can be placed in a 48-hour hold by law enforcement during which time they can be picked up by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). At this point, the immigrant will then be transferred to an ICE detention center. This can be confusing for family members and loved ones and leaves many of them wondering, “how can you tell if someone has an ICE hold”?

Generally, after a person arrives at the ICE detention facility, they will be evaluated to determine if they are eligible for release on an immigration bond. Within the first day or two of arrival, the immigrant will receive information regarding their eligibility and bail amount. At this point, immigrants will generally be able to contact their loved ones to let them know their whereabouts, if they have not already, and provide information regarding their bond amount. Being contacted directly by the immigrant is usually how most family members and loved ones discover that someone has an ICE hold.

If your loved one has been arrested and you have not heard from them and are wondering how can you tell if someone has an ICE hold in this event, you may have to do some research to locate them. The simplest way is to use the ICE Online Detainee Locator System. This is available online and can be accessed any time of day and allows people to search by Alien Registration Number (or A-number) as well as by biological information like name, country or birth and date of birth. It is important to note that these search terms must match the information that ICE has on file exactly to provide results. If your search comes up empty, try changing the spelling of the name or removing hyphens.

After using this tool, if you are unable to find your loved one, it is best to check in with local jails or ICE facilities by phone. It is possible they may have information regarding the immigrant but perhaps it has not yet been entered into the system. If all these options leave you empty handed, you should also consider if the immigrant may have been deported through an expedited removal. This often occurs in cases where the immigrant has a previous deportation on their record, has been in the country for less than 2 weeks or those who were caught crossing U.S. borders illegally.

If none of these methods provide any answers regarding the whereabouts of your loved one, an immigration attorney may be your best bet in answering your questions regarding how can you tell if someone has an ICE hold. If your loved one is located and is eligible for release with an immigration bond, contact us today to explore your options.