Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator System using the detainee's nine-digit Alien Registration Number (A-Number) or their full legal name, country of birth, and date of birth. The tool only shows people currently in ICE custody, not those held in county jail awaiting transfer or minors in ORR custody. If no record appears, call the ICE ERO Charlotte Field Office directly.
Last updated November 2025.
How do I search the ICE Online Detainee Locator System?
Enter the detainee's nine-digit Alien Registration Number (A-Number) into the ICE Online Detainee Locator System. You don't need to know the facility. The A-Number appears on any prior immigration paperwork: a Notice to Appear, a bond receipt, or a work permit.
What if I don't have an A-Number?
Search by full legal name, country of birth, and date of birth exactly as ICE has them on file. A misspelled name or a wrong birth date returns no result, even if the person is in custody. Try an accented or hyphenated spelling if the first search fails.
| Search Method | Required Info | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| A-Number search | Nine-digit Alien Registration Number | Prior immigration paperwork is available |
| Name/DOB search | Full legal name, country of birth, date of birth | No A-Number, or first contact after an arrest |
Why doesn't the detainee show up yet?
ICE's own locator help page states the database doesn't reflect custody changes in real time. Someone arrested by local police and held on an ICE detainer, at Mecklenburg County Jail for example, won't appear until ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations physically completes the transfer. That gap has run a full day or longer in transfers we've tracked between North Carolina county jails and out-of-state contract facilities.
William J. Vasquez, the firm's founding attorney and a member of the North Carolina State Bar, has represented families through ERO Charlotte bond hearings for over two decades. In one recent matter, a client's brother disappeared from the locator for three days after an overnight transfer to a contract facility in Georgia. ERO Charlotte confirmed the transfer by phone before the online record updated.
Can the detainee get released on bond?
Only some detainees qualify. Under 8 C.F.R. § 1003.19, an immigration judge can set bond only if the person isn't subject to mandatory detention under INA § 236(c), which covers most people with certain criminal convictions. If bond is available, the detainee or a family member requests a hearing before the assigned immigration judge, not through the locator. Our bond hearings page covers what to bring and how ERO Charlotte handles bond redeterminations.
What about minors, or detainees at contract facilities?
Children apprehended without a parent move within about 72 hours into the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, part of Health and Human Services, not ICE, so they won't appear in this locator. Parents should call the ORR National Call Center instead. Adults held at smaller contract facilities sometimes post later than others because the local ERO field office, not the facility, controls when a record is entered.
Is the locator available in Spanish?
Yes. The ICE Online Detainee Locator System has a Spanish-language toggle on the search page, and results display the same way regardless of which language you use to search.
ICE Locator vs. County Jail Locator
| System | Coverage | Update Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| ICE Online Detainee Locator | Anyone in ICE custody nationwide | Not real-time; ICE's own guidance warns of lag after transfers |
| County jail inmate search (e.g., Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office) | Only people physically held in that county jail | Usually within hours, but stops once ICE takes custody |
Frequently asked questions
How long until a detainee appears in the locator? ICE publishes no guaranteed timeline. Its own help page notes records aren't updated in real time, and we've seen gaps of a day or more after an arrest or an inter-facility transfer.
Can I search without an A-Number? Yes. Use exact full legal name, country of birth, and date of birth. A mismatch on any of those three fields returns no result, even if the person is in custody.
Local police arrested them, not ICE. Now what? Check the county jail's own inmate locator first. Once ICE lodges a detainer and takes physical custody, typically after the criminal charge resolves or bond posts, the person eventually appears in the federal system.
Does it show bond amount or a court date? No, only custody status and facility location. Court dates come from the Executive Office for Immigration Review's own case status system, which tracks the hearing separately from ICE custody. Our Notice to Appear deadlines page explains that separate timeline.
Is there a phone number if the locator doesn't help? Call the ICE ERO Charlotte Field Office, which covers detainees held anywhere in North Carolina, or the ICE Detention Reporting and Information Line.
Should I hire a notario publico to help? No. A notario publico isn't a licensed attorney in the United States, whatever the title implies in other countries. Verify anyone offering to help through the North Carolina State Bar's public attorney lookup before paying for any service.
Which immigration court hears the case? That depends on where ICE files the Notice to Appear, not where the detainee is held. Our North Carolina immigration court jurisdiction page explains which cases go to the Charlotte immigration court, and EOIR's online case status tool shows hearing dates once a case number is assigned.
If the locator confirms ICE custody and bond eligibility is unclear, call before the first hearing, not after. Bond eligibility under 8 C.F.R. § 1003.19 turns on the specific criminal and immigration history, and that's easier to sort out before an immigration judge sets conditions than to fix afterward. Reach the Vasquez Law Firm immigration team to review the custody paperwork and A-Number together.