As visitor volunteers advocating on the behalf of detained individuals, often times it is useful to know if the person we are visiting or writing to is still detained or clearly know the status of their case. This post describes resources for determining if and where a person is detained as well as looking up various details about an individuals immigration case status. It is important to realize that these are very personal pieces of information and it is essential to remain mindful of people’s privacy as detained individuals are very vulnerable. Understanding what can be accessed via a person’s A# underscores reasons for not sharing that information publicly without first having that individual’s informed consent.
Detention Status: The ICE Online Detainee Locator System can be used to monitor a detained individual’s incarceration status. Searches can be performed based on A# and country of origin or by first and last name along with country of origin. Supplying these pieces of information, it is possible to see if the individual is still in custody and if so where. If it is the case that the person you are writing to has not responded, check the ICE locator to see if they are still there. Likewise, if the person you are visiting is not at the facility, the ICE locator is a useful tool to see if the person was transferred elsewhere. If they were transferred, then it is a good idea to see if there is another visitation program near the facility the individual was moved to and to contact that visitation group to follow up with the individual.
Immigration Case Status: The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) customer service provides a hotline number for checking on immigration case status. The toll free number is 1-800-898-7180 and provides information on:
- Information about the BIA’s mailing address, location, and website information;
- Appeals and motions;
- Transcripts and briefs;
- Stays of deportation;
- BIA decisions; and
- Change of address.
BIA Case Status: EOIR customer service provides a hotline number to check on BIA case status. The number is does not appear to be toll free, it is 703-605-1007 and provides information on:
- Information about the BIA’s mailing address, location, and website information;
- Appeals and motions;
- Transcripts and briefs;
- Stays of deportation;
- BIA decisions; and
- Change of address.