Got a letter telling you to report to ICE? Read this first.
If an envelope from the Department of Homeland Security is sitting on your table telling you to come to an ICE office on a certain date — do not decide alone, and do not decide today. Read this page, then call one of the free numbers at the bottom.
1) What is happening
DHS is sending call-in letters to people whose TPS ended, ordering them to report to an ICE facility on a set date. This is a "check-in" or "report" notice, not a court hearing notice — they are different documents, and a lawyer will want to see which one you actually received.
📍 What has been confirmed on the record
In Springfield, Ohio, the director of the Haitian Community Help & Support Center said publicly that community members who reported in response to these letters were fitted with ankle monitors at the check-in (reported July 30, 2026, and covered locally by the Springfield News-Sun).
Springfield is where this was documented first. It is likely happening in other cities too — if you received a letter somewhere else, treat it as real and get advice.
Sources: Democracy Now (July 30, 2026 broadcast); Springfield News-Sun.
2) The one thing that matters most
🛑 Talk to a lawyer BEFORE your report date. Not after.
After the check-in is too late to change what happens at it. Before the date, a lawyer can:
- Read the letter and tell you what kind of notice it actually is.
- Tell you your real options — asylum, family petitions, U or T visas, VAWA and others (see the options after TPS). Some have deadlines that a check-in date does not pause.
- Tell you what is likely to happen at that specific office, which varies a great deal by city.
- Sometimes go with you, or file something beforehand that changes the picture entirely.
Call today, even if your date is weeks away. Free numbers are in section 7 below.
3) But do not simply ignore the letter, either
We are not telling you to skip it. Missing a required check-in can create its own serious problems — it can be treated as absconding, which can be used against you later and can make a case harder to fix.
So the honest picture is: both doors have risk.
If you go without a lawyer
You may be fitted with an ankle monitor, given new reporting conditions, or in some cases detained — without anyone there who knows your file or can speak for you.
If you don't go and tell no one
You can be treated as having absconded. That label follows a case, can be raised against you later, and can close off options that were open before.
Choosing between those doors is exactly what a lawyer is for. Go, don't go, or go with counsel — that is a decision to make with advice, not from a page on the internet and not from what a neighbor heard. The advice of this page is one thing only: get counsel immediately.
4) Ankle monitors — what they are, and what they are not
What it is
GPS device · "Alternatives to Detention"
An ankle monitor is a GPS check-in device used in ICE's Alternatives to Detention program. It tracks location and is paired with a reporting schedule. The program's stated purpose is supervision instead of holding someone in a detention facility.
Practically: it is intrusive, it is visible, and it can affect work and daily life. That is a real burden and it is fair to be upset about it.
What it does NOT mean
Read this part twice
An ankle monitor is not a deportation order. By itself it does not remove anyone and does not end a case.
You still 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).
And to be clear: losing TPS is not an automatic deportation order either.
Program background: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Your rights if ICE approaches you: Know your rights.
5) Scam warning — this letter attracts predators
💸 Only DHS sends these letters. Nobody can "cancel" your appointment for a fee.
- Anyone who calls or texts demanding money to "cancel your appointment," "fix your letter," "remove your name from the list," or "make the ankle monitor go away" is a scammer. Every time.
- Government agencies do not ask for payment by gift card, wire transfer, cash app, or cryptocurrency. Ever.
- A notario is not a lawyer in the United States. Ask for a bar number, or use a nonprofit from section 7.
- Do not send anyone your letter, your A-number, or a photo of your documents over WhatsApp or social media.
6) If you do report — prepare first, with your lawyer's advice
Only do this after you have spoken with counsel, and follow what they tell you over what is written here.
- Memorize your lawyer's phone number. Not saved in a phone — memorized. Phones get taken.
- Finish your family plan first — who picks up the children, who has the documents, who to call. Free family-preparedness tools →
- Do not bring your foreign passport unless your lawyer specifically tells you to. A foreign passport can make a deportation happen faster.
- Tell your emergency contact the date, the time, the exact address of the office, and when to start calling if they do not hear from you.
- Bring the letter itself and any receipt notices for pending cases, if your lawyer says to.
- Do not sign anything at the office before your lawyer sees it — especially not a "stipulated removal," which gives up the right to a hearing.
If someone does not come home: how to find a person detained by ICE →
7) Free help lines — call before your date
RAISE hotline
Florida Immigrant Coalition · South Florida
English · Kreyòl · Español · Português. Free.
Haitian Bridge Alliance
National · Monday–Friday, 10am–7pm ET
Free. Works with Haitian families nationwide.
immigrationlawhelp.org
Search by ZIP code
Free and low-cost nonprofit immigration legal providers anywhere in the U.S. immigrationlawhelp.org →
Minnesota — ILCM
Monday–Thursday, 1–3pm
Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota detention line.
More organizations by state and city: Find help near you.
Related pages
Quick answers
I got a letter telling me to report to ICE. What do I do first?
Call a free immigration legal hotline before your report date — RAISE at 1-888-600-5762, the Haitian Bridge Alliance at 619-693-8708, or a nonprofit near you through immigrationlawhelp.org. A lawyer can read the letter, tell you what is likely to happen at that office, and sometimes go with you or file something first.
Can I just ignore an ICE call-in letter?
Not without legal advice. Missing a required check-in can be treated as absconding, which creates its own problems and can make a case harder later. Both going and not going carry risk, which is exactly why the decision belongs with a lawyer who has read your file.
Does an ankle monitor mean I am being deported?
No. An ankle monitor is a GPS supervision device used in ICE's Alternatives to Detention program. By itself it is not a removal order. You still have the right to a hearing before an immigration judge in most cases and the right to a lawyer.
Someone offered to cancel my ICE appointment for a fee. Is that real?
No. It is a scam. Only DHS sends these letters, and nobody can cancel an appointment or "remove your name from a list" for money. Government agencies never ask for payment by gift card, wire transfer, cash app or cryptocurrency.
Should I bring my passport to an ICE check-in?
Not unless your lawyer specifically tells you to. A foreign passport can make a deportation happen faster because it supplies travel documentation the government would otherwise have to obtain.
Reporting and phone numbers on this page were checked on August 4, 2026. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.