If someone you love was taken into immigration custody, the first thing you need is the one thing nobody tells you: where they are. This guide walks through ICE's public locator, what to do when it returns nothing, and what changes once you know the facility.
Start with the ICE Online Detainee Locator
ICE runs a public search tool called the Online Detainee Locator System (ODLS). It is free, available 24 hours a day, and offered in Spanish and seven other languages. It covers adults currently in ICE custody, and people held by Customs and Border Protection for longer than 48 hours.
There are two ways to search, and one is far more reliable than the other:
By A-Number: Enter the nine-digit Alien Registration Number plus country of birth. This is the fastest and most dependable method. If you do not know what an A-Number is or where to find one, see our guide on A-Numbers.
By biographic information: Enter first name, last name, country of birth and date of birth. This works, but it is fragile — see the next section for why.
Why the search comes back empty (and what it does not mean)
An empty result is frightening, but it very often means a data problem rather than anything about your family member. Four reasons account for most failed searches:
The system only does exact matches. The name you type has to match precisely what the intake officer entered. Accented letters, two last names, a hyphen, a middle name recorded as a surname, or first and last names entered in the wrong order will all return nothing. Try several spellings and try reversing the name order.
The record may not be entered yet. Information in the locator can be several hours old, and after a very recent arrest it can take a day or more before someone appears.
They may be in transit. People being moved between facilities can drop out of the system temporarily and reappear at the new location.
Minors are not listed. The locator holds no records for anyone under 18. Adults in family detention appear; their children do not.
If you still cannot find them
Work through these in order:
Call the ICE ERO field office for the region where the arrest happened. ICE directs people here when the locator fails, and staff can sometimes find a record the public system will not show. Field office contacts are listed on ICE's website.
Check local custody. People are frequently held in a county jail on an immigration detainer before ICE physically takes them. Call the jail where they were first booked.
Contact the consulate of their country of citizenship. Consulates can request information the public cannot.
Write everything down. Dates, times, officer names, facility names, any number you are given. In a habeas case this timeline becomes evidence.
What changes once you know the facility
The facility is not just an address — it decides which court can help. A habeas corpus petition must generally be filed in the federal district where the person is confined. Someone at Delaney Hall in Newark is in the District of New Jersey; someone at Port Isabel is in the Southern District of Texas. That single fact determines the judge, the timeline, and the case law that applies.
It also starts the clock on what can be done. If detention has run six months or more, or a bond hearing was refused, or a transfer appears imminent, those are the moments when federal court intervention matters most. Our state pages set out which district court covers each facility.
FAQ
It varies. Locator information can be several hours behind, and after a very recent arrest it may take a day or longer for a record to appear. If the arrest was this morning, an empty result tells you almost nothing — check again later the same day and the next.
Not on its own. The far more common explanations are an exact-match failure on the spelling of the name, a record not yet entered, or a transfer in progress. Call the ICE ERO field office for the area before drawing any conclusion.
No. The system holds no records for anyone under 18. If a child was detained with a parent, the parent may appear while the child does not. Legal help should be sought immediately in these situations.
Write down the facility name and the A-Number shown. Call the facility to confirm they are still there and ask about phone and visitation procedures, since people are moved without notice to families. Then get the case reviewed — how long someone has already been held, and whether a bond hearing was held or refused, determine what a federal court can do.
Related guide: What Is an A-Number?