Finding a detained person
Immigration and Customs Enforcement runs an online detainee locator. It works with the person's A-number, or with their full name, country of birth and date of birth. A person who was just arrested may not appear for a day or more, and transfers between facilities are common, so the search has to be repeated.
The immigration court with jurisdiction is normally the one that serves the facility where the person is held, which can be far from where the family lives. Many detained hearings are held by video. Both facts decide where the case is fought and who needs to be in the room.
Bond hearings
A detained person may be able to ask an immigration judge to set a bond. The judge decides two things: whether the person is a danger to the community, and whether they are likely to appear at their hearings. Family in the United States, time in the country, work history, a place to live, letters of support and any criminal record all weigh in that decision, and the judge sets the amount.
Not everyone can ask. Some people are subject to mandatory detention because of certain criminal history or because of how they entered the country, and the rules on who may see a judge for bond have changed through regulations and court decisions. Whether a bond hearing is available is the first thing the firm checks.
A bond is paid to ICE by a person with lawful immigration status. It is returned at the end of the case if the person attended every hearing and complied with the final order, and it is forfeited if they did not.
The removal case does not wait
A detained case moves on a faster calendar: hearings that take months for a person at liberty can be set within weeks. The relief available is the same as in any removal case, from asylum to cancellation of removal, but the evidence has to be gathered quickly, usually by family on the outside working with the attorney.
Common questions
How do I find out where a family member is being held?
Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator with the person's A-number, or their full name, date of birth and country of birth. If they were arrested in the last day or two, check again later. Once the firm is retained it can also contact ICE directly.
Can every detained person ask for bond?
No. Certain criminal history, and certain ways of entering the country, put a person in mandatory detention with no bond hearing before a judge. The rules on who qualifies have been changing, so this is checked case by case and first.
What happens to the bond money?
It is returned at the end of the case to the person who paid it, provided every hearing was attended and the final order was complied with. It is lost if the person fails to appear.
Do you take cases in courts you do not usually attend?
Yes. The client covers the attorney's travel for a hearing in a court outside the ones the firm regularly attends, and that cost is agreed before the firm is retained.
Official sources
This page was written from the official sources below. Rules, forms and procedures change; check the agency for the current version.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Reading it or contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship.