Locate someone detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in California. Covers Adelanto, Mesa Verde, Yuba County, Golden State Annex, Otay Mesa, and all ICE contract facilities. Free assistance 24 hours a day.
Calls may be answered by a licensed bail bond agent.The ICE Online Detainee Locator System (ODLS) is a free government search tool at locator.ice.gov. Follow these steps to find someone in ICE custody.
Navigate to locator.ice.gov. No account or login is required. The tool is available 24/7.
You can search two ways: (1) by A-Number (Alien Registration Number), the most accurate method, or (2) by full legal name plus country of birth. Use the person's exact legal name as it appears on government documents, not a nickname.
Results show current detention facility, detention date, and case status. Write down the facility name and address. Note the A-Number if you didn't have it before, you will need it for all future communications.
Call the detention facility directly to ask about visitation hours, phone setup, and mail procedures. Each facility has different rules and hours for family contact.
Especially important in the first 48 hours. An immigration attorney can request a bond hearing, challenge detention, and file protective documents quickly. Early legal action significantly improves outcomes.
California operates five dedicated ICE processing and detention facilities, plus dozens of county jail contract beds. Use the ODLS locator to confirm which facility currently holds the person.
Operator: GEO Group (private)
Location: 10250 Rancho Road, Adelanto, CA 92301 (San Bernardino County)
Phone: (760) 246-0100
Capacity: ~1, 900 beds
One of the largest ICE facilities in the western U.S. Holds adult male detainees. Civil rights complaints have been filed against this facility, detainees may benefit from legal representation.
Operator: GEO Group (private)
Location: 425 Golden State Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93301 (Kern County)
Phone: (661) 322-8000
Capacity: ~400 beds
Located in Bakersfield. Holds adult male and female detainees. Overseen by the San Francisco ICE Field Office.
Operator: Yuba County Sheriff
Location: 215 Fifth St, Marysville, CA 95901 (Yuba County)
Phone: (530) 749-7777
County jail holding ICE detainees under an intergovernmental service agreement (IGSA). Both county inmates and ICE detainees are held here.
Operator: GEO Group (private)
Location: 900 Detention Drive, McFarland, CA 93250 (Kern County)
Phone: (661) 792-2511
Capacity: ~700 beds
Opened in 2020. Located in Kern County near Bakersfield. Holds adult male detainees from Northern and Central California.
Operator: CoreCivic (private)
Location: 7488 Calzada de la Fuente, San Diego, CA 92154 (San Diego County)
Phone: (619) 671-2500
Capacity: ~1, 500 beds
Major facility in San Diego near the U.S.-Mexico border. Holds adult male and female detainees processed through the San Diego ICE Field Office.
ICE also holds detainees in various California county jails under contract. These include facilities in Sacramento, San Bernardino, and other counties. Detainees at contract facilities appear in the ODLS system with the county jail's address. Always verify current location, transfers between facilities are common.
ICE detention follows a different legal process than criminal jail. Understanding these differences affects how quickly someone can be released and what steps the family needs to take.
An ICE detainer (Form I-247A) is a request placed by ICE on a person held at a county jail, asking the county to hold them for up to 48 hours past their normal release date so ICE can take custody. Many California counties, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento, have sanctuary policies limiting cooperation with detainers.
If the county does not honor the detainer and releases the person, ICE may attempt to re-arrest them in the community. Check your county's specific policy by contacting the county sheriff's office or reviewing the county's sanctuary ordinance.
Once in ICE custody, a detainee may request a bond hearing before an Immigration Judge (IJ). At the bond hearing, the IJ considers flight risk and danger to the community. If bond is granted, the amount is typically $1, 500 to $25, 000 or more. Bond must be paid in full, there are no immigration bondsmen who pay a percentage like in criminal bail.
Bond payments are made to ICE directly at the local ERO office. Contact the EOIR Immigration Court at (800) 898-7180 to find the immigration court handling a case and to schedule or check on a bond hearing.
Immigration proceedings are complex and the stakes, potential deportation, are very high. Access to an attorney significantly improves outcomes.
The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) publishes a list of free and low-cost immigration legal services providers by state. Visit justice.gov/eoir/list-pro-bono-legal-service-providers or call the Immigration Court helpline at (800) 898-7180 for referrals in California.
ACLU of California and the National Immigration Law Center publish free Know Your Rights guides specifically for ICE detainees. These explain what ICE can and cannot do, rights during an interrogation, and how to preserve the right to appeal. Many detention facilities must provide access to these materials.
People in ICE detention can receive mail. Send letters to: Full Name, A-Number, facility name, and the facility's mailing address (confirm with the facility first). Funds can be deposited on JPay or through the facility's commissary system. Contact the facility for approved methods before sending anything.
If you cannot locate someone through the ODLS or they were recently arrested, contact the ICE ERO Field Office with jurisdiction over the area where they were detained.
Jurisdiction: Southern California (Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura counties)
Phone: (213) 830-7900
Address: 300 N. Los Angeles St., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Jurisdiction: Northern California, Nevada, and Hawaii
Phone: (415) 844-5512
Address: 630 Sansome St., San Francisco, CA 94111
Jurisdiction: San Diego and Imperial counties
Phone: (619) 557-5610
Address: 880 Front St., Suite 1234, San Diego, CA 92101
Yes, in many cases. An immigration judge can set an immigration bond at a bond hearing. Not all detainees are eligible, those with certain criminal records or deemed a flight risk may be held without bond. An immigration attorney can file for a bond hearing and argue for release. Bond amounts typically range from $1, 500 to $25, 000.
Under California's TRUST Act and California Values Act (SB 54), most California law enforcement agencies are prohibited from honoring ICE detainer requests or cooperating with civil immigration enforcement. ICE operates independently in California. For locating someone in ICE custody, use the ODLS locator or call the ICE Field Office directly.
Each ICE facility uses a different commissary vendor. Adelanto and Golden State Annex use Access Securepak / TouchPay. Mesa Verde uses JPay. Otay Mesa uses Access Corrections. Contact the specific facility or check their visitation page for current approved deposit methods. You will need the person's A-Number and full legal name.
Immigration court hearings (before EOIR, Executive Office for Immigration Review) determine whether a person is removable and whether they qualify for relief (asylum, withholding, cancellation of removal, etc.). Hearings may be conducted in person at a facility or via video teleconference. Family members can attend in-person hearings as observers. Check EOIR's case status system at acis.eoir.justice.gov for hearing dates.
Yes. ICE transfers detainees between facilities regularly based on bed availability, security classification, court location, and other operational factors. Transfers can happen with no advance notice to the family. Always verify current location through the ICE Online Detainee Locator at locator.ice.gov before making a trip to visit, as a person may have been moved since you last checked. The A-Number remains the most reliable identifier across facility transfers.
Our free assistance line can help locate detainees, provide facility contact information, and connect families with licensed immigration attorneys in California, 24 hours a day.
📞 Call Free: (916) 633-2220Calls may be answered by a licensed bail bond agent. Search assistance is always free.