When someone is arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the hours that follow can feel completely disorienting for the people who love them.
Finding an Inmate Transferred to a Private ICE Detention Center
When someone is arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the hours that follow can feel completely disorienting for the people who love them. ICE detainees are routinely moved between facilities — sometimes multiple times — and a significant portion of those facilities are operated by private contractors rather than government agencies. Understanding how the detention network works, where to search, and how to avoid predatory services along the way can be the difference between reconnecting quickly and losing weeks to confusion and fear.
Understanding How ICE Detention Differs from County Jail
The search for a detained loved one is complicated by the fact that immigration detention sits at the intersection of federal law enforcement, private business, and civil procedures — not criminal ones. That distinction matters enormously for families trying to navigate the system, because the rules, timelines, and available tools differ in meaningful ways from county jail or state prison searches. This guide walks through the methodology step by step.
ICE detention is a civil, not criminal, system. A person held by ICE has not necessarily been convicted of any crime. They are being held pending an immigration proceeding, which means the legal framework, the facilities, and the search tools are all different from what families encounter when a loved one is in a county lockup.
Private detention contractors operate a large share of ICE beds nationwide. These companies hold detainees under intergovernmental service agreements or direct contracts with the federal government. The facilities may look like jails and operate with similar internal rules, but they are not county jails, and they do not appear in standard county jail inmate search databases.
Because of this, a family that searches a county jail roster will almost certainly come up empty — not because their loved one has been released, but because they are held in a system that requires entirely different search tools. Recognizing this gap immediately saves families from wasting critical hours searching the wrong databases and from the anxiety of a false negative result.
The First Step: The ICE Detainee Locator System
The federal government maintains the ICE Detainee Locator System, accessible through the ICE website at ice.gov. This is the primary official tool for locating someone in immigration detention, whether they are held in a government-owned facility or a privately operated one. It is free to use and does not require you to create an account.
To search, you will need the person's full legal name and either their country of birth or their ICE detainee identification number, also called an A-number. If you have both the name and the A-number, use both — it will return a more precise result. If the search returns no result, that does not automatically mean the person has been released; it can also mean they were recently transferred and the database has not yet updated.
Database updates in the ICE system are not always instantaneous. Transfer records can lag behind the physical movement of a person by twelve to forty-eight hours in some cases. If your first search returns nothing, wait several hours and search again before drawing any conclusions. Document each search attempt with the date and time, so you have a record of your efforts.
Why People Get Moved to Private Facilities
Understanding why transfers happen helps families anticipate where a loved one might end up. ICE manages bed space across a network that spans hundreds of facilities, and detainees are moved based on available capacity, legal jurisdiction, and proximity to immigration courts. When a local county jail contract is full or ends, detainees are often transferred to a private detention center that has a standing contract with ICE.
Private facilities tend to be concentrated in certain states and regions where land, labor, and regulatory environments make them economically viable for contractors to operate. That geographic concentration means a person arrested in one part of the country can be moved hundreds of miles away, ending up in a facility that has no obvious connection to their home community.
Transfers also happen during the legal process itself. When an immigration judge is assigned, ICE may move the detainee closer to the court where their hearing will be held. If an appeal is filed, another transfer is possible. Families should understand from the start that the location of a detained loved one is not fixed and that monitoring for transfers is an ongoing task, not a one-time search.
How to find someone arrested by ICE and moved to a for-profit facility
The phrase "How to find someone arrested by ICE and moved to a for-profit facility" captures exactly the situation many families face — a loved one in federal civil detention at a private contractor site, invisible to the county systems families are more familiar with. The answer involves layering several official sources together rather than relying on any single tool.
Start with the ICE Detainee Locator System as described above. If that search confirms a detention record but does not show a specific facility, call the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) field office that covers the jurisdiction where the person was arrested. ERO field office contact numbers are listed on the ICE website by region. Be ready to provide the A-number, full legal name, and date of birth.
If ERO confirms the facility name, search that facility directly. Private detention centers operated under ICE contracts have their own internal records systems, and many will confirm a detainee's presence by phone when contacted with correct identifying information. Note the full facility name exactly as ERO states it — private contractors often operate under corporate names that differ from the facility's common name, and using the wrong name in a subsequent search will cause confusion.
Reaching Out to Immigration Legal Service Providers
An immigration attorney or accredited legal representative can access information and advocate for a detained individual in ways that family members cannot. If you cannot afford a private attorney, several nonprofit organizations provide free or low-cost immigration legal services to detained individuals. The Immigration Court's website lists recognized organizations by state, and the Legal Orientation Program at many detention facilities connects detainees directly with legal aid at the facility level.
Contact with an attorney is protected as a matter of law — detained individuals have the right to contact and be represented by counsel, even in civil immigration proceedings. If a facility tells you that your loved one cannot receive calls from an attorney, document that statement and report it to the facility's contracted oversight body or directly to the ICE field office. Interference with legal access is a serious matter that ICE takes through its oversight process.
Legal service providers also have networks and institutional knowledge about which private facilities have which internal policies. Some private detention centers have visiting hours that differ sharply from county jails, and some have phone systems that require account setup before any call can be made. A legal services contact can often give you facility-specific guidance that does not appear on any public website.
Setting Up Communication with a Detained Loved One
Once you have confirmed the facility, your next priority is establishing a communication channel. Most private ICE detention facilities use contracted phone service providers, and calls typically cannot be made from inside the facility without an account established on the outside. The process varies by contractor, but generally involves visiting the phone service provider's website, creating an account, and funding it before any calls can connect.
Be aware that the landscape of jail and detention communication services includes both legitimate, licensed providers and imitation sites designed to collect payment without delivering service. Always identify the official provider by calling the facility directly and asking which phone and commissary system they use. Then navigate to that provider's official website independently — never by clicking a link from a search result you did not specifically verify. This single precaution prevents the most common scam that families fall into during this period.
The emotional weight of the situation makes people vulnerable to urgency-based fraud. A family searching urgently for how to send money to someone in jail or how to put money on a detainee's account may encounter search results that mimic official provider sites. Legitimate providers are always identified by the facility directly. If a site you reach has not been confirmed by the facility, stop and verify before entering any payment information.
The Commissary and Money Deposit Process
Once you have the official provider confirmed by the facility, depositing money into a detained loved one's commissary account follows a specific process that varies by contractor. Common deposit methods include online transfers through the provider's official portal, MoneyGram or Western Union terminals at certain retail locations, and occasionally mail-in money orders. Not all methods are available at every facility, so confirm the accepted methods directly with the provider.
Processing times also vary. Online deposits at some facilities are credited within hours; money orders sent by mail can take a week or longer. If your loved one has an upcoming need — whether for hygiene items, phone time, or other commissary purchases — plan for the longer processing window and initiate the deposit early. Delays that feel like facility errors are often simply processing timelines built into the system.
When using a third-party transfer service like MoneyGram, you will typically need the facility's exact name as it appears in that service's dropdown, the detainee's full legal name, and their A-number or internal account number. Using an incorrect spelling of the facility name is one of the most common causes of failed or misdirected deposits. Get the exact spelling from the facility itself before initiating any transfer.
Avoiding Scams During the ICE Detention Search
Families searching for a detained loved one are specifically targeted by several categories of fraud. The first is fake bail services — sites or callers claiming they can post bail or a bond for an ICE detainee in exchange for an upfront payment. Immigration detention is a civil system, and while immigration judges can in some cases set bond, the process goes through official immigration court proceedings. Any unsolicited call or website offering to "get someone out" of ICE detention for an immediate fee is a fraud.
The second category is information broker scams. Some sites charge a fee for a search that would return no result or a result no more useful than the free ICE Detainee Locator. If a site asks you to pay before showing you any information about whether a record exists, walk away. Legitimate inmate-search tools for immigration detention either provide information for free or charge only for verified premium services with a clear description of what you are paying for.
The third category is impersonation. Callers sometimes pose as ICE officers or detention facility staff, demanding payment or personal information to "process" a release or prevent a transfer. ICE does not call families to demand payment. If you receive such a call, hang up, and report it to the ICE tip line and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Document the caller ID and the time of the call.
Staying Updated After the Initial Location
After locating a detained loved one and establishing communication, the challenge shifts from search to monitoring. ICE detainees can be transferred again — sometimes with little or no advance notice to family members. The ICE Detainee Locator System is the most reliable ongoing check, and searching it every few days is a reasonable practice when a loved one is in active proceedings.
If a transfer does occur, the same methodology applies: search the ICE Detainee Locator, then call the ERO field office, then contact the new facility directly. The A-number remains constant across all transfers, which is why securing and keeping that number safe from the beginning of the process is one of the most important early steps. Write it down in multiple places.
Some families find it useful to create a shared document with the A-number, facility contact information, legal representative contact, and phone provider account credentials, so that more than one family member can step in if the primary searcher is unavailable. Coordinating within the family reduces duplicated effort and ensures that nobody is starting from scratch if a transfer happens overnight.
What to Do if the ICE Locator Returns No Result
A no-result response from the ICE Detainee Locator does not confirm release. There are several reasons why a person in active ICE custody might not appear: they may have been detained within the past twenty-four to forty-eight hours and the record has not yet been entered, they may be in transit between facilities, or there may be a data entry issue with their name or A-number.
If you have confirmed through other means that your loved one was taken into ICE custody and the locator still returns nothing after forty-eight hours, escalate the search. Contact the ERO field office for the jurisdiction where the arrest occurred, and if possible, have an attorney or legal representative submit an inquiry on the detained person's behalf. An attorney's formal inquiry often receives a response more quickly than a family inquiry.
You can also contact the facility where you believe the person was initially taken — often a county jail or local immigration hold — and ask specifically whether they transferred the individual to ICE custody and, if so, to which facility. Some county jails will provide that transfer information to immediate family members, particularly when the inquiry is accompanied by identifying information. Policies vary by jurisdiction, so confirm the local policy before assuming either way.
Using InMato as Part of Your Research Process
InMato is an information, search, and referral service — not a bail bond company, law firm, money transmitter, or payment processor. Families researching how to find a loved one in jail free often discover InMato as a starting point for county jail searches before they realize the situation involves federal immigration detention. If you are uncertain whether your loved one is in a county facility or an ICE-contracted one, InMato's free search is a logical first step.
Because InMato never touches your money and connects families only to official, licensed providers — never to imitation payment sites — it serves as a scam-avoidance checkpoint as much as a search tool. Jail commissary deposit instructions on InMato route families directly to official facility providers, which reduces the risk of funds landing in a fraudulent third-party account. For families managing both a county jail inmate search and an ICE detention inquiry simultaneously — which happens when multiple family members are detained — the free search tier with no time limit provides ongoing access without creating financial pressure.
InMato+ at $19.99 per month per loved one adds jail booking alerts, release and transfer alerts, court date alerts, and real-time case tracking, which is directly relevant for families monitoring a loved one who may be moved between facilities. The ability to receive a transfer alert rather than discovering a move days later can significantly compress the time it takes to re-establish communication after a relocation.
Keeping Records and Staying Calm Under Pressure
Every contact you make during this process should be documented. Write down the date, time, name of the person you spoke with, and what they told you. If you receive conflicting information from two sources, document both and escalate the discrepancy to an attorney or legal aid provider. A clear paper trail is useful if a grievance or complaint ever needs to be filed.
The corrections system, immigration or otherwise, is not designed for ease of family navigation. Delays, transfers, and lapses in communication are common and do not necessarily signal bad intent on the part of the facility. Staying methodical — returning to the same verified sources, updating your records, and reaching out through official channels — is the most effective way to stay connected.
Families that approach the search with a documented, step-by-step methodology tend to reconnect with their loved ones faster than those who search without a system. The emotional urgency is real and valid. Channeling it into organized, sequential action — starting with the ICE Detainee Locator, confirming the facility, establishing communication, and monitoring for transfers — gives that urgency somewhere useful to go.
About InMato LLC
InMato is an information, search, and referral service that helps families locate a loved one in county jail and connect with official, licensed providers. Founded by J.T. Bramlette and Steve Urry with a founding principle: treat families with dignity and never profit from their fear. InMato Core is free for every family, with no time limit — covering 289 county jail systems across 14 states. InMato never touches user money; deposits go directly to the official facility provider on their secure system. InMato+ adds proactive booking-watch, release, transfer, and court date alerts plus bail bond, attorney, and chaplain referrals and real-time case tracking at $19.99/month per loved one, cancel anytime. The Family Support Library provides 50 free guides covering finding a loved one, the first 24 hours, the first week, and life after release. Available in English and Spanish. InMato LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, headquartered in Santa Barbara, California.
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Originally published at https://www.inmato.com/blog/finding-inmate-transferred-private-ice-detention-center-9594
Written by InMato
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