Search for individuals held in ICE immigration detention in Texas. Texas holds more immigration detainees than any other state. Learn how to use the ICE Online Detainee Locator and what legal options are available.
ⓘ Calls may be answered by a licensed bail bond agent.Texas holds more immigration detainees than any other state in the country. ICE detainees are held in facilities entirely separate from county jails and TDCJ many in private detention facilities under contract with ICE.
The free ICE Online Detainee Locator at locator.ice.gov searches all ICE detention facilities nationally. Search by name, country of birth, and date of birth or by A-Number (alien registration number) if known.
The most accurate search uses the A-Number (Alien Registration Number), a 9-digit number on immigration documents. Without the A-Number, name searches may produce multiple results or miss the detainee.
Call ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations at 1-888-351-4024. Have the person's full legal name, date of birth, and country of origin available. Calls are handled in English and Spanish.
ICE detainees have the right to consult an immigration attorney. The National Immigration Legal Services directory at immigrationadvocates.org lists free legal services available in Texas ICE facilities.
The ICE Online Detainee Locator is free. Search by name + country of birth, or by A-Number for the most accurate results.
ICE Detainee Locator ↗Pearsall, TX (Frio County) One of the largest ICE detention facilities in the country. Operated by GEO Group. Capacity approximately 1,900 beds. ICE field office: San Antonio.
Los Fresnos, TX (Cameron County) Federal ICE processing facility serving the Rio Grande Valley area. Primarily holds individuals in removal proceedings. Contact through ICE Houston ERO.
Karnes City, TX Family residential facility operated by GEO Group for families in immigration proceedings. Contact ICE San Antonio at (210) 967-7000.
Houston, TX ICE contract facility in the Houston area serving the Gulf Coast region. Contact ICE Houston Enforcement and Removal at (281) 774-4800.
Dilley, TX (Frio County) South Texas Family Residential Center. Largest family immigration detention facility in the United States. Contact through ICE San Antonio ERO.
Laredo, TX (Webb County) ICE detention facility serving the Laredo area and Webb County. Contact ICE San Antonio field office for detainee information in Laredo-area facilities.
ICE detention is a civil immigration process, not a criminal one. People held in ICE custody have not necessarily committed a crime. They are being held because the federal government has determined they may be removable from the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). This distinction matters because ICE detention carries different rights, different procedures, and different release mechanisms than criminal detention in a county jail or state prison.
Texas holds more ICE detainees than any other state. This is partly because of Texas's size and its long border with Mexico, and partly because ICE has contracted with numerous county jails and private detention facilities across the state to house detainees. Someone arrested by local law enforcement in Texas may be transferred to ICE custody through an immigration detainer, a formal request from ICE that the jail hold the person for an additional 48 hours after their scheduled release so ICE agents can take custody.
A detainer (Form I-247) is a request from ICE to a law enforcement agency asking them to notify ICE before releasing a person and to detain that person for up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released. Detainers are not mandatory, local jails can choose to honor or decline them. Some Texas counties have sanctuary-style policies and decline detainers. Others have 287(g) agreements that actively partner with ICE. If ICE doesn't pick the person up within the 48-hour window, the jail must release them on the detainer alone.
ICE detainees may be eligible for an immigration bond, separate and entirely distinct from any criminal bail amount. Immigration bonds are set by ICE officers at the time of detention or by an immigration judge after a bond hearing. The minimum immigration bond is $1,500, but amounts commonly run $5,000 to $25,000 or higher depending on the person's ties to the community, flight risk, and criminal history. Paying an immigration bond does not resolve the immigration case, it simply releases the person while their removal proceedings continue. Immigration bond amounts cannot be reduced by a criminal defense attorney; an immigration attorney must request a bond redetermination hearing before an immigration judge.
Certain categories of detainees are subject to mandatory detention under INA Section 236(c), meaning no bond is available at all, regardless of circumstances. Mandatory detention applies to non-citizens who have been convicted of specific aggravated felonies, certain controlled substance offenses, certain firearms offenses, and crimes of moral turpitude under specific circumstances. If someone you know is being held without the possibility of bond, mandatory detention may be the reason. An immigration attorney can review the case to determine whether the mandatory detention is being applied correctly.
Detention is the beginning of the removal process, not the end. Being detained by ICE does not automatically mean deportation. The person has the right to a hearing before an immigration judge, and there are often avenues to seek relief from removal depending on their history in the country, family ties, and any claimed fear of returning to their home country.
ICE takes custody of the person, either from local law enforcement via a detainer or through a direct enforcement action. An ICE officer issues a Notice to Appear (Form I-862), which formally initiates removal proceedings. At this stage, ICE also makes an initial custody determination, whether to release the person on bond, release on supervision, or keep them in detention.
If ICE denies bond or sets an amount the family cannot afford, the detainee can request a bond redetermination hearing before an immigration judge. These hearings are held at the immigration court with jurisdiction over the facility where the detainee is held. For Texas facilities, immigration courts in San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, and El Paso handle most cases. Wait times for bond hearings vary, sometimes days, sometimes weeks depending on docket congestion.
The first formal immigration court appearance is the master calendar hearing, where the judge schedules the case, the detainee enters pleadings on the Notice to Appear, and relief applications are identified. This is where the detainee tells the court what forms of relief they are seeking, asylum, cancellation of removal, adjustment of status, or other forms. Having an immigration attorney at this stage is critical.
The substantive hearing where evidence is presented, the government argues for removal, and the detainee (through counsel) argues for relief. The immigration judge issues a decision. If ordered removed, the detainee has 30 days to appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). Removal is typically stayed (paused) while an appeal is pending.
ICE frequently transfers detainees between facilities, sometimes across state lines, with little or no notice to the family. Someone detained at a county jail in Texas may be transferred overnight to a facility in Louisiana or Georgia. This is why using the ICE detainee locator at locator.ice.gov is the most reliable way to find someone's current location. The locator updates regularly and is searchable by name, country of birth, and ID number.
Unlike criminal defendants, ICE detainees do not have the right to a government-appointed attorney. The Sixth Amendment right to counsel applies only in criminal cases. In immigration court, detainees may have an attorney but must find and pay for one themselves. Non-profit legal organizations in Texas provide free or low-cost immigration representation: RAICES (San Antonio), CLINIC affiliates, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, and American Gateways (Austin) among others.
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