Searching for a Loved One in ICE Custody? Here’s What You Need to Know

Updated July 18

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Tension between advocates and immigration officers boiled over Tuesday when federal officials drove through a group of protesters outside San Francisco’s immigration court, according to videos captured by civilians and journalists.

The protesters were trying to stop immigration officers from moving a detained man from inside the courthouse into a van outside. The van then drove through the group, dragging one protester who was clinging to the hood.

Arrests and detainments inside immigration courthouses have become an unprecedented tactic for immigration agents trying to meet President Donald Trump’s quota of 3,000 arrests per day. According to the Deportation Data Project, a database led by a UC Berkeley law professor, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested over 5,800 immigrants statewide since the inauguration — a 123% increase from 2024.

The crackdown on immigrant communities has terrified and angered Bay Area residents, prompting rallies and actions to ward off arrests that some have described as kidnappings, especially given that ICE agents sometimes wear face coverings to conceal their identity. Sen. Alex Padilla has introduced a bill that would bar agents from wearing masks and require them to display their badge numbers. Many families have told media outlets, including NPR, about the difficulties they’ve faced trying to track down loved ones in the system.

KQED has compiled a guide on how to navigate ICE’s online database when searching for someone in the system. Keep in mind this is not legal advice, and consulting a lawyer can help with your specific situation. KQED also has a guide on where to find free or low-cost legal assistance in the Bay Area.

Use ICE’s online system

If the person is an adult, you can use ICE’s Online Detainee Locator System to search for them, or you can call (866) 347-2423.

You will need to have the person’s information, like:

• Their “alien registration number” — or A-Number — is assigned by the Department of Homeland Security. This number can be found on a green card, work permit or other immigration documents, and is usually seven to nine digits.
• Their full name
• Their country of birth
• Their date of birth

According to the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, it may take a few days for a person to appear in the ICE database.

If the name you’re searching for isn’t showing up in the ICE system — or if you’re concerned about their safety and possible deportation — you can seek out assistance from advocacy organizations such as Freedom for Immigrants through an online form or by calling 209-757-3733. (You can also find immigration-specific free or low-cost legal support in this KQED guide.)

Check the Bureau of Prisons’ search tool

According to the National Immigrant Law Center, this year, “ICE began using prisons run by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to hold people for immigration cases.” 

You can use the Bureau of Prisons’ search tool to look up a person. NILC says that people who are being held by the Bureau of Prisons should also show up in the ICE online locator system.

If you know someone was detained near one of these prisons, you can try calling the facility directly.

Looking for a minor?

If you are trying to find a minor you suspect has been detained, you can call ICE at 800-203-7001. You can also email the Office of Refugee Resettlement at information@ORRNCC.com.

Reach out to an ICE field office

The ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations field office in San Francisco oversees an area that includes Northern California, Hawaii, Guam and Saipan.

You can contact the SF field office, located at 630 Sansome St., by phone at 415-365-8800 or by email at SanFrancisco.Outreach@ice.dhs.gov.

Please note: NILC warns that if you’re calling or emailing a field office, “don’t give more information than you need to,” and “only give the necessary A-Number or basic information, like name and country of birth, that you would use in the online locator.”

If you can’t reach anyone at the field office, San Francisco has an ICE Community Relations Officer who can be reached at CommunityRelations.SanFrancisco@ice.dhs.gov.

Call a detention facility

ICE’s website lists five detention facilities associated with the San Francisco field office, though not all of them are in the Bay Area — or even California.

If you know someone is being held at a detention facility, you can call to try to get more information. The facilities include:

• Golden State Annex in McFarland. The number is 661-792-2731 and you can call from 8 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
• The Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield. You can call 661-859-1028 from 8 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
• Federal Detention Center, Honolulu, in Hawaii. You can call 808-529-1970 from 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Hawaii is three hours behind San Francisco.
• The Guam Department of Corrections, Hagatna Detention Facility in Guam. You can call 671-777-2976 from 7:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Guam is 17 hours ahead of San Francisco.
• The CNMI Department of Corrections in Saipan. You can call 670-237-6000 from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Saipan is 17 hours ahead of San Francisco.

According to ICE’s website, people detained cannot receive calls. You must leave a message with the facility that includes the detainee’s full name, alien registration number, as well as your name and telephone number where you can be reached.

Contact the person’s consulate

According to the NILC, “All immigrants in ICE jails have the right to contact their country’s consulate.” You can also try contacting this office yourself in an effort to find a person. However, the NILC strongly suggests that you not do this if the person is applying for asylum or fears for their life back in their home country.

Look up their possible court date

If you are worried someone is being subject to expedited removal, check if they have a court hearing. “If someone has a pending court date, they have not yet been subject to expedited removal,” said Jordan Weiner, the legal director of the Removal Defense Program at La Raza Centro Legal in San Francisco. “But once expedited removal is applied, their court date will go away.”

You can search for someone’s next hearing date by using their A number on the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s website.

People who are especially vulnerable to quick deportation without a hearing are those who are detained and do not have information showing up on the EOIR website – because they were never issued a notice to appear.

If someone has their case dismissed or didn’t show up on the system and then later shows up with an upcoming court date, “this likely means they passed their credible fear interview and are back in proceedings before an immigration judge,” Weiner explained.

“Which is good because it means they can fight their case.”

KQED’s Katie DeBenedetti contributed to this report.