Someone was taken. Here’s how to find them.
A detained person does not disappear. There is a system, it is public, and you can search it yourself from this phone. Work down this page one step at a time.
Step 1 — Breathe. Then do one thing at a time.
You can do this
- Nobody vanishes. Adults booked into immigration detention are entered into a public system you can search.
- You do not need a lawyer to search. The search is free, takes two minutes, and asks nothing about your status.
- Do the search first, then call for legal help. The information you find is what a lawyer will ask you for.
- If you get stuck at any step, keep going down the page. Every step has a phone number.
Step 2 — Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator
Go to locator.ice.gov. It is free, it works on a phone, and you can search in English or Spanish.
Open the ICE Detainee Locator →
There are two ways to search. Try the first one if you can.
A. By A-number — most reliable
A-number + country of birth
The A-number ("Alien Registration Number") is 8 or 9 digits, usually written with an A in front. You can find it on:
- their work permit / EAD card (Form I-766)
- any immigration court paper
- any USCIS receipt or approval notice (Form I-797)
Enter the A-number and their country of birth. That is all it needs.
B. By name — works, but be careful
Exact legal name + country of birth (+ date of birth)
The name must match their papers, not the name the family uses. Spelling counts.
- Try the name exactly as printed on their documents first.
- Then try other spellings and the other order (first/last swapped) — records are often entered by hand.
- Try with and without a middle name, a second last name, or an accent.
A failed name search usually means a spelling problem — not that they are not there.
Search tool: ICE Online Detainee Locator System.
Step 3 — If they don't come up, read this before you panic
⏳ Three ordinary reasons a search comes back empty
- They were just arrested. A newly detained person can take hours, and sometimes days, to appear in the locator. Keep checking. Search again a few times a day.
- They are under 18. Children never appear in this locator — it only lists adults. For a minor, call the hotlines in Step 4 right away and say the person is a child.
- The name or the country is slightly off. Go back to Step 2 and try other spellings, the reversed name order, and the A-number if you can find one.
If they still don't show up, call ICE directly and ask. You can ask where a person is being held.
ICE ERO detention reporting line
Ask where a person is being held
Have the A-number, the exact legal name, the date of birth and the country of birth ready before you call.
Your local ICE ERO field office
If the national line can't help
Each region has its own Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) field office with a public phone number. Ask the hotline in Step 4 which field office covers the place the person was taken from.
Step 4 — Get a lawyer moving today, not next week
Detention cases move fast. Call while you are still searching — you do not have to find the person first.
RAISE hotline
Florida Immigrant Coalition · South Florida
English · Kreyòl · Español · Português. Free. Report a detention and get connected to legal help.
Haitian Bridge Alliance
National · Monday–Friday, 10am–7pm ET
Free. Works with Haitian families nationwide on detention and removal cases.
immigrationlawhelp.org
Search by ZIP code
A directory of free and low-cost nonprofit immigration legal providers anywhere in the U.S. immigrationlawhelp.org →
Minnesota — ILCM detention line
Monday–Thursday, 1–3pm
Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota. Detention-specific intake line for Minnesota cases.
More organizations, by state and by city: Find help near you.
Step 5 — The consulate can be notified
A detained foreign national has the right to have their country's consulate notified of the detention. For Haitian nationals, the consulate can confirm a detention, help with identity questions, and connect families to community organizations.
⚠️ Do NOT hand passports or consular documents to ICE
Notifying a consulate is not the same as giving ICE documents. A foreign passport or a consular travel document can make a deportation happen faster, because it removes the paperwork the government would otherwise have to obtain.
Only a warrant signed by a judge — not a form signed by an ICE officer — can require anyone to produce documents. If ICE asks the family for a passport, birth certificate or consular ID, say you want to speak to a lawyer first, and call one of the numbers in Step 4 before handing over anything.
Guidance: Immigrant Defense Project. See also Know your rights if ICE approaches.
Step 6 — Get one message to the person: sign nothing
When you reach them — through a lawyer, or on a detention phone call — this is the most useful sentence you can say:
🛑 "Do not sign anything until you talk to a lawyer."
- Never sign a "stipulated removal." That paper gives up the right to see a judge and lets a deportation be ordered without a hearing. People are asked to sign it while frightened, tired, and without counsel.
- They have the right to remain silent. They can say: "I want to remain silent. I want to speak to a lawyer."
- They have the right to a hearing before an immigration judge in most cases, and the right to a lawyer (the government will not pay for one, but free help exists — Step 4).
- Being detained is not a deportation order. Losing TPS is not an automatic deportation order either.
Print the wallet-size version of these lines and keep one in every pocket in the house: Print the rights card →
Before it happens: write these five things down now
📝 The 2-minute list that makes Step 2 work
If you are reading this and nobody has been detained — this is the single most useful thing you can do today. For every member of your household, write down:
- Their A-number (8 or 9 digits, from the work permit or any USCIS notice)
- Their exact legal name, spelled the way it appears on their papers
- Their date of birth
- Their country of birth
- The phone number of a lawyer or hotline, memorized by at least one adult
Keep the list somewhere a trusted person outside the house can reach it. Do not carry it with you.
Related pages
- Got a letter telling you to report to ICE? — read this before your report date.
- Know your rights if ICE approaches — at the door, in the car, at work.
- Legal options after TPS — asylum, family petitions, U/T visas, VAWA.
- This week: facts vs. rumors — what is confirmed and what is not.
- What changed on this site — every update, dated.
Quick answers
How do I find someone ICE detained?
Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator at locator.ice.gov. The most reliable search is the person's A-number (8 or 9 digits, from their work permit or any USCIS notice) plus their country of birth. You can also search by exact legal name plus country of birth and date of birth, but the spelling must match their papers.
Why can't I find them in the detainee locator?
Usually one of three reasons: they were arrested too recently and have not been entered yet — this can take hours or days, so keep checking; they are under 18, and children never appear in the locator; or the name or country of birth is spelled differently in the record. If they still do not appear, call the ICE ERO line at 1-888-351-4024.
Can I look up a detained child?
No. The ICE Online Detainee Locator lists adults only — a person under 18 will never show up there. Call a free legal hotline right away and say the person is a minor: RAISE at 1-888-600-5762 or the Haitian Bridge Alliance at 619-693-8708.
Should I give ICE my relative's passport?
No — not without talking to a lawyer first. A foreign passport or consular travel document can speed up a deportation. Only a warrant signed by a judge, not a form signed by an ICE officer, can require anyone to produce documents.
What should I tell a detained family member?
Tell them not to sign anything before speaking with a lawyer — especially not a "stipulated removal," which gives up the right to a hearing. They have the right to remain silent, the right to a hearing before an immigration judge in most cases, and the right to a lawyer.
Phone numbers and the locator behavior on this page were checked on August 4, 2026. If a number has changed, tell us here and we will correct it.