How Do I Know if Immigration Has a Person?

Being unable to locate a loved one understandably creates a sense of panic and urgency. For those who are residing within the United States illegally, one of the biggest concerns of family members and friends in light of their absence is that they have been arrested by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. An illegal immigrant runs the risk of being detained in an ICE facility each day, and arrests can occur unexpectedly. Something as simple as a routine traffic stop or as complex as a workplace raid can leave you questioning. How do I know if immigration has a person?

If you are unable to locate a loved one who is not a legal resident and have exhausted all other options, it is possible that they have been detained by ICE. If it has only been a few hours or a single day, it may be difficult to get a straight answer as to whether your loved one is being held by ICE. This is because it will take time to process the immigrant and add them into the system. After 48 hours have passed; however, you should use the ICE detainee locator tool to search their database. To use the tool, you will need the immigrant’s alien number, which can be found on their green card or work permit. If this information is unavailable, you can search for them using their date of birth, country of birth, and full name. If this does not generate any results, be sure to try alternate spellings. This tool should inform you of their location if they are in an ICE facility. It is important to note that this tool will only provide information on adults over the age of 18. For those who opt to call an ICE facility directly to ask about their loved one, be sure not to reveal any information that can be used against them in court.

When the detainee locator tool does not provide any results, it is possible that the system simply hasn’t updated yet or that the immigrant is being held in a local jail. If this is the case, it can be helpful to call nearby correctional facilities and explain the situation. You may discover that your loved one is being held by local law enforcement agents until they can be picked up by ICE, or perhaps they were arrested for something unrelated to immigration. When neither of these methods reveals any information about the immigrant in question, you may need to resort to an immigration attorney to help.

Also, keep in mind that if the immigrant has only recently arrived in the United States, they may have already been deported back to their country of birth through a process known as expedited removal. An immigration attorney can also discover this information if you are unable to do so on your own.

Still have questions about immigration, such as how do I know if immigration has a person? Contact the experts at US Immigration Bonds today to learn how we can help free your loved one from ICE detainment.