The first 48 hours after an ICE arrest

Hours 0 to 12: they will not show up yet

After a pickup, booking and transport take time. It is commonly several hours, and sometimes more than a day, before a person appears in any search system. An empty result in this window tells you almost nothing.

This is the hardest part to sit through and it is where families make the most calls to the most places. Use the time to gather documents instead: any immigration paperwork in the house, the A-number if you can find it, the full legal name and date of birth, and the country of birth.

Hours 12 to 48: start searching properly

Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator, which follows the person nationally rather than answering for one building. Search with the A-number and country of birth if you have them, or the full name, country of birth, and date of birth.

Two limits worth knowing before they surprise you: 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 person was first arrested by local police, check the county or city jail too. Someone can be in a county jail on an immigration hold and appear in neither system cleanly.

What not to do

Do not pay anyone who contacts you first offering to get the person out, especially if they ask for cash, gift cards, or a wire transfer to a personal account. That pattern is a scam aimed specifically at families in this situation.

Do not sign anything you have not read, and do not hand over original documents to anyone who is not a licensed attorney or a licensed bond agent you have checked.

Do not assume a lawyer and a bond company are the same thing. We are not a law firm, we do not give legal advice, and when a case needs a lawyer we connect you with licensed attorneys.

When a bond enters the picture

A bond only becomes relevant once ICE, DHS, or an immigration judge has decided the person is eligible for one and set an amount. Until then there is nothing to pay and nothing to arrange. If the person is being held without bond, that is a legal question and it needs a licensed immigration attorney, not a bond company.

Once a bond exists, the mechanics are the same everywhere in the country, and they run through ICE's online system.

Checked against ICE guidance on 30 July 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.