To find someone detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), start with ICE’s Online Detainee Locator System (ODLS). Search with the person’s nine-digit A-Number and country of birth when possible. If the A-Number is unavailable, use the person’s exact first name, last name, country of birth and date of birth. Then check the separate immigration-court record through the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) Automated Case Information System (ACIS), or by telephone.
These systems answer different questions. ODLS reports whether ICE has a person in custody and the facility shown in its records. ACIS reports selected immigration-court and Board of Immigration Appeals information. A court hearing notice or order is the controlling record when it differs from an online result. A missing ODLS or ACIS result does not, by itself, prove that someone has been released, has no case, or is outside the United States.
How to find someone detained by ICE
ICE’s Online Detainee Locator System is the official public search for many people in immigration custody. Open locator.ice.gov and search using the most reliable identifier available. An A-Number is a unique nine-digit immigration identifier. If an older number has fewer than nine digits, add zeros at the beginning before searching.
Search with an A-Number
- Gather the person’s A-Number and country of birth. Check the number against immigration papers, a work permit, a court document, a notice to appear or correspondence from an attorney.
- Open the ICE locator and choose the search option for an A-Number.
- Enter all nine digits. Do not omit leading zeros from a shorter legacy number.
- Select the correct country of birth exactly as it appears in the person’s records.
- Submit the search and save the facility name, city, state and any other information displayed. Record the date and time of the search because custody information can change.
Using the A-Number with the correct country of birth is generally more dependable than a name search. If the result identifies a facility, contact that facility only after checking the locator record and, when necessary, the responsible ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) field office. A facility may have its own visiting, telephone and property rules, so confirm those details directly before traveling or sending anything.
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Search by exact biographical information
When the A-Number is unknown, select the biographical search and enter the person’s exact first name, exact last name, country of birth and date of birth. ICE states that first and last names must be an exact match. A search for “John Doe” will not retrieve “Jon Doe,” and a hyphenated surname must be entered with the same hyphenation used in the record.
- Try the legal spelling shown on a passport, birth certificate, immigration document or court filing.
- Check every hyphen, apostrophe, accent and spacing choice in the surname.
- Use the date of birth in the month-day-year format requested by the locator.
- Confirm that the selected country is the country of birth, not the person’s current residence, nationality or destination.
- If the person uses aliases, gather those names for follow-up with ICE; do not assume an alias will work in the public search.
What to do when the locator returns no result
A no-match screen is not proof that the person is free or is not in ICE custody. First repeat the search with verified spelling, hyphenation, date of birth, country of birth and A-Number. If the biographical search failed, try the A-Number; if the A-Number failed, ask relatives or counsel to verify every digit rather than guessing.
ICE identifies several reasons a person may not appear: the record may not have been uploaded yet, the person may be a juvenile, or ICE may withhold a record for security or agency-discretion reasons. The locator also does not search people under 18. After checking the identifiers, contact the relevant ERO field office and provide the person’s full name, aliases, date of birth, country of birth and A-Number, if known.
What the ICE locator covers—and what it cannot establish
ODLS is intended for a person currently in ICE custody or for someone who has been in U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody for more than 48 hours. ICE attorney guidance says the database generally includes people currently detained or released from ICE custody within the previous 60 days, but records may be delayed or absent. The public page itself warns that records for people under 18 cannot be searched.
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The facility displayed is the custody location in ICE’s database at the time of the search. ODLS is not an immigration-court docket, a bond calendar or a complete history of every detention event. It does not tell you whether a person will be released, whether a bond has been paid, whether an appeal is pending or what the person’s next hearing will be. Those questions require ICE or court contact and the person’s case documents.
Why a result can be incomplete or delayed
- Upload timing: A person may have entered custody before the record appears online.
- Age: The locator cannot search records for people under 18.
- Security and agency discretion: ICE may exclude some records from the public search.
- Identifier errors: One wrong digit, a different hyphenation or the wrong country of birth can prevent a match.
- Changing custody information: A transfer or release can make an earlier facility detail stale.
Because of these limits, use a locator result as a starting point for communication, not as a final legal determination.
Contact ICE when the person is missing from the database
For detention questions and basic case-information assistance, call ICE’s Detention Reporting and Information Line (DRIL) at 1-888-351-4024. The line operates Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time. Spanish and other language assistance is available.
Have the following information ready before calling:
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- Full legal name and any aliases
- Date of birth
- Country of birth
- A-Number, if known
- Approximate date and place of arrest or last contact
- Your relationship to the person and a callback number
Explain that the person does not appear in ODLS, describe the searches you already performed and ask which ERO field office handles the matter. If ICE gives you a facility or office, write down the employee’s name or identification number when available, the date and time, the instructions provided and any reference number. Those notes help when a later call reaches a different office.
Privacy restrictions and attorneys
ICE cannot disclose every detail to every caller. Privacy rules may limit information given to relatives, friends or other third parties. An attorney seeking information for a client generally needs a properly filed Form G-28 showing representation. If you are not the person’s lawyer, ask what consent or documentation ICE requires before discussing confidential case information.
When contacting an ERO field office, give the identifiers exactly as they appear in official documents. An office can investigate a possible missing record, but it may still withhold information protected by privacy or security rules.
How to check an immigration-court case status
ICE custody and an immigration-court case are separate records. To check a court case, use EOIR’s Automated Case Information System or the EOIR case-information telephone system. ACIS covers certain immigration-court and Board of Immigration Appeals cases and may show basic status information, but it does not display every case or every piece of information.
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Use EOIR’s online case system
- Open the EOIR case-status page at acis.eoir.justice.gov.
- Enter the nine digits of the A-Number. Do not type the letter “A.”
- If the document shows an eight-digit A-Number, add a zero at the beginning to make nine digits.
- Submit the search and read the displayed court, hearing, decision and filing information.
- Save or print the result with the date of access so you can compare it with later updates and mailed notices.
EOIR’s system can provide the next hearing date, time and location when one has been set; case-processing information; an Immigration Judge decision outcome and date; Board of Immigration Appeals appeal information; and filing information. If an A-Number is associated with more than one case, ACIS displays the most recent case rather than a complete history of every matter.
Call the EOIR case-information hotline
If you cannot use the website, call 1-800-898-7180. The non-toll number is 304-625-2050; TDD users can call 800-828-1120. Enter the nine-digit A-Number without the letter A, adding a leading zero to an eight-digit number.
The telephone system is useful when a web page is unavailable or when you need to hear the next listed hearing, decision information or filing status. It does not replace the court’s written notice, and it does not provide bond-hearing information. For bond matters, contact the local immigration court handling the case.
Understand an unavailable or limited ACIS result
EOIR warns that not all cases, or all information about a case, are displayed. A missing result can mean that the government has not started the immigration-court case, that the person is in a protected status, or that the matter is outside ACIS’s coverage. It can also reflect an incorrect A-Number or a leading zero entered incorrectly.
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ACIS will not show a new hearing date until the immigration court sets one. If a hearing is postponed, rescheduled or otherwise changed, the online record may not be the first notice you receive. ICE’s court-status guidance recommends checking at least once a week because hearing information can change.
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| Question | ICE Online Detainee Locator | EOIR ACIS and hotline |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Find a person currently in ICE custody or covered recent custody records and identify the facility shown by ICE. | Check selected immigration-court and Board of Immigration Appeals case information. |
| Main identifier | Nine-digit A-Number plus the correct country of birth; exact biographical details can be used when the number is unknown. | Nine-digit A-Number entered without the letter A; prepend zero to an eight-digit legacy number. |
| Coverage | People currently in ICE custody and people who have been in CBP custody for more than 48 hours; ICE guidance generally covers current or recent ICE custody. | Certain immigration-court and BIA cases, with the most recent case shown when an A-Number has more than one case. |
| Important limits | Records can be delayed or omitted; people under 18 cannot be searched; security and agency-discretion exclusions may apply. | Not every case or data item appears; bond-hearing information is not provided; a new hearing date appears only after the court sets it. |
| Record to rely on when information conflicts | Confirm the custody question with ICE, the ERO field office or the facility. | The latest hearing notice, order or other court document controls case status. |
How to verify a hearing date
Use ACIS or the telephone line to orient yourself, then compare the result with the most recent hearing notice, order or other document issued by the immigration court. EOIR states that court documents such as hearing notices are the official source of information on case status. Keep every notice, envelope, filing receipt and order together, including documents received by an attorney.
If the online result and the written notice disagree, do not choose a date based only on the website. Contact the local immigration court using the contact information on the notice or court correspondence and ask which document is controlling. A person who misses a hearing can face serious consequences, so confirm the date, time, location and whether the appearance is in person or by video from an official notice.
Practical troubleshooting by situation
You know the person is detained, but ODLS is blank
Verify the A-Number and country of birth, then run the exact-name search. If the person is under 18, ODLS is not the appropriate public search. If both searches fail, call DRIL and the responsible ERO field office with all identifiers and the approximate arrest details.
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The name search produces no match
Do not shorten the name or substitute a nickname. Check the spelling against an official document, including hyphens and accent marks, and confirm the date and country of birth. A legal name change or alias should be reported to ICE during follow-up rather than used as an unverified guess.
ACIS shows no case, but ICE has a detention record
Custody does not guarantee that an immigration-court case is already visible in ACIS. Recheck the nine-digit A-Number and ask ICE whether proceedings have begun. Continue checking at least weekly and preserve every notice. A case may also be protected from public display or outside ACIS’s coverage.
ACIS lists a hearing that conflicts with a mailed notice
Treat the court-issued notice or order as controlling and contact the local immigration court promptly. Keep the conflicting online printout for your records, but do not rely on it instead of the written document.
Quick Recap
Checklist for families and advocates
- Collect the person’s full name, aliases, date of birth, country of birth and A-Number.
- Search ODLS with the A-Number and country of birth.
- If necessary, repeat the search using exact first and last names, country of birth and date of birth.
- Write down the facility and the date of the search.
- If there is no result, call DRIL at 1-888-351-4024 during its Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. Eastern operating hours and contact the relevant ERO field office.
- Search EOIR ACIS with nine digits, omitting the letter A and adding a leading zero to an eight-digit number.
- Call 1-800-898-7180, 304-625-2050 or TDD 800-828-1120 if online access is unavailable.
- Check at least weekly while a hearing or filing is pending.
- Compare every online or telephone result with the latest hearing notice or court order.
- Ask an attorney about Form G-28 and privacy limits before requesting confidential case information for someone else.
Key points to remember
- ODLS answers where ICE records a person in custody; EOIR answers what selected court records show. They are not interchangeable.
- The A-Number is the strongest identifier, but ICE’s search also requires the correct country of birth and exact spelling for a biographical search.
- A no-result response requires verification and follow-up, not an assumption that the person has been released.
- ACIS is a limited information service and does not provide bond-hearing details.
- Hearing notices and court orders are the authoritative record when any online or telephone information differs.
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