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How To Conduct An ICE Inmate Search

How To Conduct An ICE Inmate Search

Nothing scares immigrants more than seeing or hearing that their loved one was arrested and detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. It is even more terrifying since most of them do not know where they were taken and have no idea how to find out where they are being detained.  

ICE has hundreds of detention centres spread out throughout the nation. By visiting the website and sorting the detention facilities by state/field office or facility name, you may look for a detention facility close to you.  

The Department of Homeland Security runs these ICE detention facilities. They detain individuals charged with violating immigration laws. When you find that a friend or family is being held at an ICE detention facility, one of your first thoughts could be to wonder why they were first detained. Agents from ICE have the authority to conduct arrests anywhere, including residences, offices, and courtrooms. In most cases, if an immigrant is accused of violating their visa, they will be detained by ICE. 

Understanding How ICE Agency Work 

Reasons Why an Individual Can Be Detained By ICE 

People are arrested for various reasons, most revolving around violating the nation’s immigration laws. They include the following: 

  • Supposed to have committed a crime on foreign soil 
  • Illegally entering the country 
  • Visa overstaying 
  • Pending removal order, either current or past 
  • Leaving a planned immigration hearing without showing up 

How long can ICE detain someone? 

There are several phases in the incarceration process, as the process is complex. After an arrest, ICE may ask a local agency to keep an immigrant for an additional 48 hours (excluding weekends and holidays). However, the detainee has the right to be freed if ICE does not locate you within 48 hours of the hold being imposed. In such a circumstance, seek instant legal assistance if you are not being freed. 

If accepted, the hold authorizes immigration officers to take the person into custody before handing them over to ICE. If an ICE inquiry reveals that the immigrant has legal status, they will be freed. They will be sent to federal custody if the inquiry indicates that they entered the country unlawfully, returned after being removed, or overstayed their visa.  

ICE will then start the removal process, including an immigration court hearing. If ICE starts removal procedures, it is strongly urged that you seek the assistance of a deportation attorney.  

ICE Detainee Rights 

If you are an undocumented immigrant, be aware that the detention facilities can hold you and initiate removal procedures if they determine that you violate the law. If you worry that attempting to assist a friend or family who is detained might result in your detention, speak with an immigration lawyer. 

However, even with ICE having the power, the detainee has rights that the agency must observe and respect. They include the following: 

  • A proceeding before an immigration court 
  • A lawyer (not provided by the US government) 
  • Choosing whether to reveal your immigration status to any authorities 
  • Calling your consulate, whose number your deportation officer may provide 
  • Finding anyone to assist you in finding a lawyer or other professionals. You may contact a family member or attorney directly to avoid contacting the embassy. 
  • Requesting the court to reduce the amount if it is too high during your bail hearing 

Locating ICE Inmates Using the Locator System  

Using the ICE Detainee Locator System, you can locate any adult detainee incarcerated or detained by ICE. If English is not your first language, use the language selector in the top left corner of the page to change it. The database is customizable to Portuguese, Spanish, and additional languages. 

You can locate these individuals using the following ways: 

  • Detainee’s birth country  
  • Alien registration number (A-Number) 
  • Their official full names, including a middle name if they have one. 

Search By ICE A-Number 

You may look for someone detained by entering their country of birth and their eight or 9-digit long Alien Registration Number underneath the language selection. Numerous immigration papers, such as the green card, work permit, passport visa stamp, and receipt for the immigrant fee, include the Alien Registration number.  

Note that the number should have eight/nine digits. If the one belonging to your loved one does not have those digits, add zeros at the start of the A-Number is less than nine digits long. According to ICE, the A-Number will provide a better match than searching by name and birthdate. 

Search by Detainee’s Name 

If you don’t have access to the person’s A-Number, you may search using their first and last name, place of birth, and birthday. You could also add their middle name or any additional names they have. If this search does not provide results, try retyping the person’s name or hyphenating it. 

Understanding the Detainee Locator System Results 

Upon a successful search, the locator system will indicate two answers: 

  • In Custody 
  • Not in Custody 

When you search, and the results say “In Custody,” it means that the detainee is in one of the ICE detention facilities. Nonetheless, the system will tell you where the ICE detention facility the person is in, how to get in touch with them, and who the officer in charge of their case is. 

On the other hand, the locator system will indicate on the search result, “Not in Custody”, if the detainee was released or deported during the last sixty days. However, this may also happen when the detainee information still needs to be updated. You need to check back sometimes as it is updated within 20 mins to eight hours.  

Alternative Ways of Locating Inmates in ICE Detention Facilities 

Again, if the individual you are looking for is a minor, their information won’t be shown on the website due to privacy concerns. In that case, it is preferable to get in touch with the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (IRO) office nearest where the juvenile or other immigrant was detained; or where their immigration case was first filed if you need to find them.  

The Detainee Reporting and Information Line (DRIL) number is also available at 1-888-351-4024. You may also contact your local county prisons or correctional institutions to determine whether they are being held before ICE custody.  

However, be careful what information you provide the immigration officer you talk with concerning the prisoner or yourself. The government may use anything you say to undermine the detainee’s case during immigration hearings. Don’t provide details about your or their immigration status. 

You can also utilize third-party websites, but most will avail no or false results. Some of them are even tapped by the ICE agency to collect data on the searchers. You should be aware that websites collect information about your Internet domain, Internet Protocol (IP) address, and Internet address when you visit and search the system.  

Most websites, including the ICE detainee locator system, use cookies. According to ICE, this data is gathered to aid in system troubleshooting and to keep an eye out for prospective threats. Nonetheless, you can read more information about their privacy policy on the ICE official website. 

How Does the ICE Detainee Locator System Work 

According to ICE rules, its systems must be updated within eight hours of a detainee’s release, deportation, or transfer. Most of the time, prisoner information is updated faster, around 20 minutes after the booking of a detainee. However, those who want to visit a detainee should contact the detention facility in advance to ensure the person is still there. 

Again, you should know that you cannot see information on individuals subject to deportation or removal using the ICE detainee locator system. This is because it only displays information on the recently released, current inmates and recent arrests.  

However, if you want to find out if your loved one has been deported or removed from the country, you or your lawyers or legal representation must contact the ICE or Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) office overseeing their case. The detainee locator system includes the ERO office overseeing the detainee case. 

Although the transfer of ICE detainees happens regularly, the system will only provide details regarding scheduled or ongoing transfers for security reasons. The system will update the most recent data if a person is moved to another location and booked.  

What to do If you Fail To locate your inmate Online 

You may fail to locate your loved one incarcerated for various reasons. For instance, if the detainee information is unavailable on the locator system. You should be aware that the ICE detainee locator system takes up to eight hours to be updated. And if you don’t find the inmate’s information, their records have not yet been published.  

If that is the case, you should contact the facility that first arrested your loved one to learn if they were transferred to another facility.  

Again, you may not find your inmate if you have any mistakes in the search’s spelling. At times, errors happen, and the booking officer misspells the name or detainee number of the inmate during the booking process. In that case, it would be impossible to find them under that name or number. 

In addition, most immigrants, especially those illegally in the country, do not provide their original names. And the booking officer will write the names they are provided with. In that case, if you do not know the name, you won’t be able to find them.  

Sometimes, these errors happen from the information submitted clerically, such as their name or other biographical information. If you have a copy of their ID or birth certificate, enter their name precisely as it appears rather than how you know them. 

Using the incorrect search engine will yield no or false search results. 

If the ICE facility claims that the inmate was released and you can still not find them, you should contact the field office immediately since the information is only stored in the system for 60 days. Moreover, you could also contact the embassy of that nation in the United States and ask for help locating the individual. 

Can You Visit an ICE Detainee? 

All inmates in the US have the privilege of visitation unless advised otherwise by the court. However, all inmates must ensure that they behave to maintain this status which is not interfered with by the court.  

ICE detainees may receive visits from family, lawyers, consulate staff, and friends. The ICE detention facility where they are being kept will be listed next to their name when you search for their name in the locator system, and the results show “In Custody.” It will provide visiting information, contact details, and the officer assigned to their case. 

ICE Detainee Release 

Suppose ICE determines that a person is not a danger to national security or a terrorism risk after ICE pulls them up. In that case, they may, in certain situations, be eligible for release on bail. The Department of Justice conducts bond hearings. However, the odds of the non-citizen getting freed on bail are limited if they have a criminal record. 

If a bond request is rejected or the bail sum is too exorbitant, there is a chance to appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals. In these bail hearings, you can be represented by an attorney of your choosing (not one given by the United States government). When deportation is possible, further hearings, such as a master calendar hearing and a merits hearing, can take place. 

How Does Deportation Happen? 

After being taken to the detention facility, the individual facing deportation must appear before an immigration court for their removal procedures. They may be deported following a removal warrant issued by the court or a previous deportation order that will be reinstated.  

The progress of deportation case processes might sometimes take years. This implies that the individual may remain in ICE detention until their deportation if they are not freed on bail. The time it takes to deport an immigrant is substantially shorter, about two weeks if ICE finds that they qualify for expedited removal. 

2019 saw the implementation of policy measures by the government that enabled the prompt expulsion of migrants apprehended at the border. The goal of this approach was to aid border officers in hastening deportations. The law restricts migrants’ capacity to contest deportation requests unless they can demonstrate that they have been in the country for at least two years. 

An immigrant may be eligible for accelerated removal if, for instance: 

  • They have a criminal record 
  • They have been in the country for less than 14 days 
  • Were captured within 100 miles of the border 
  • Have already received a removal order 

If you are concerned about being deported from the US, you should always speak with a deportation attorney. They will be in the greatest position to compile the proof to provide to the immigration court.