ICE detention, California
Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center
In downtown Bakersfield, in the southern Central Valley, about 110 miles north of Los Angeles. This page has the address, the phone number, and a plain account of how a bond is actually posted for someone held here. If you are not sure your person is at this facility, we will check for free.
Call (800) 299-9981Any hour. Hablamos español.
Where the facility is
- Address: 425 Golden State Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93301
- Facility phone: (661) 859-1028
- ICE field office responsible: San Francisco, (415) 365-8800
In downtown Bakersfield, in the southern Central Valley, about 110 miles north of Los Angeles. People are moved in and out of this facility from other states regularly, so the fact that someone was here last week does not mean they are here today.
What is different about this facility
Two things about Mesa Verde trip people up. The facility is in Bakersfield but it is run out of the San Francisco field office, roughly 280 miles away, so the office handling the case is not the one nearest the building. And the phone number splits: general detainee information is menu option 2, while an urgent message for a detainee goes to extension 101. Dialling the main number and waiting is how people lose an afternoon.
How do I find out if someone is held at Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center?
Start with the ICE Online Detainee Locator System, which covers immigration custody nationally rather than one facility. You need the person's A-number and country of birth, or their full name, country of birth, and date of birth. You can also call (661) 859-1028, which ICE lists as staffed 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., using menu option 2. Have the person's full name, any aliases, date of birth, and country of birth ready before you call.
Two things catch families out. People under 18 do not appear in the locator at all, and anyone released more than 60 days ago drops out of it. If the search comes back empty, that is common in the first day or two after a pickup and it does not mean something has gone wrong. Give us the name and we will keep checking across all three custody systems.
How do I get a message to someone inside?
People held here cannot receive incoming calls. To get an urgent message to someone, call (661) 859-1028 and leave the person's full name, their A-number, and a phone number where you can be reached. The message is passed on.
Can I post an immigration bond at Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center?
No. You cannot post a bond at the detention facility itself. Since April 2023 ICE processes bond payments through CeBONDS, its online system, and payment is made by Fedwire or ACH bank transfer. Paying in person at an ICE office is now treated as a case-by-case exception rather than the normal route, and it still requires access to banking services.
This is worth saying plainly because a lot of pages online still describe driving to a federal building with a cashier's check. That was the old process. If you are reading instructions that mention money orders at a counter, they are out of date.
What are the bond posting hours for Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center?
ICE posts bonds Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., excluding federal holidays, in the time zone where the person is detained. Bakersfield is in the Pacific time zone, so those are Pacific hours. A request that arrives after hours is processed the next business day.
In practice this means a bond started late on a Friday afternoon is a Monday matter. It is the single most common reason a family expecting a same-day release does not get one.
Who is allowed to post an immigration bond?
ICE allows U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, law firms, and non-profit organizations to post a delivery bond, and each has to prove who they are with specific documents. A person without immigration status cannot post a delivery bond for someone else. This is the point where families most often get stuck, and it is one of the reasons bond companies exist.
If you are a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident, ICE will want to see something from this list.
If nobody in the family can meet that requirement, call us. Working the bond through a licensed agent is exactly the situation this exists for.
How long after the bond is posted will they be released?
We will not give you a number, and you should be careful with anyone who does. ICE says bond verification usually takes about one to two hours during posting hours, and that people are typically released by the end of the day after the bond is approved and the Form I-352 bond contract is signed. The facility controls the actual release, and its timing depends on staffing and on the individual case.
What if no bond has been set?
ICE, DHS, or an immigration judge decides whether a person is eligible for bond and what the amount is. We do not, and neither does anyone else you might call. If no bond has been set, or the person is being held without bond, that is a legal question rather than a bonding one. Speak with a licensed immigration attorney. Tell us and we will connect you with licensed attorneys in the area.
Visiting someone at Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center
Visitors need government-issued identification, and anyone under 18 has to come with an adult. Visiting times are set per housing unit and ICE states they can change without notice, so we are deliberately not reprinting the timetable here. Check the official ICE page for this facility the day before you travel, or call the facility.
Facility details on this page were checked against ICE's official page for Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center on 30 July 2026. ICE last updated that page on 2026-02-24. Detention details change without notice. Where this page and ICE disagree, ICE is right, and we would be glad to hear about it.