If someone you love is in ICE detention, the most useful things you can do from the outside are find out where they are being held, get their A-number, set up a way for them to reach you, and start gathering the documents a bond request and a bond sponsor will need. Each of those steps has its own rules and its own delays, and knowing them ahead of time can save a family days of guessing.
This guide covers the family’s side of detention in the order most people face it: locating the person, phone calls and money, whether bond is available, who can be a sponsor and what that person has to show, what a transfer means, how bond gets paid, and what life looks like after release. Bond law changed more than once in 2025 and 2026, so we also explain where things stand for people detained in Florida as of September 2026.
The short version
Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator with the person’s A-number, or their full name, date of birth, and country of birth. You cannot call a detainee; they have to call you. Whether an immigration judge can set bond depends on the legal basis for the detention, and for people held in Florida the Eleventh Circuit ruled in May 2026 that most people arrested inside the country after entering without inspection can ask for a bond hearing. A sponsor, usually a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, should start collecting proof of status, tax returns, bank statements, and proof of address right away.
Key Takeaways
- Start with the A-number. The ICE locator, the immigration court’s case status system, facility deposits, and the bond payment system all run on it.
- The first bond hearing carries the most weight. A second request needs a material change in circumstances, so a complete packet matters more than a fast one.
- Release on bond starts a new phase. The removal case keeps going, and ICE may require check-ins, a phone app, or an ankle monitor until it ends.
Where Is My Loved One Being Held?
Use ICE’s Online Detainee Locator System. According to ICE, a search needs the person’s full name, A-number or date of birth, and country of birth. Small spelling differences can make a search come back empty, so try variations, and try both last names if your loved one uses two.
A new arrest may not show up right away. People are often held first at a local ICE processing office or a county jail before they are booked into a longer-term detention center, and the locator can trail behind those moves by a day or more. Conditions at those first stops are usually rough: little sleep, the same clothes they were arrested in, and very limited phone access. If you still cannot find the person after searching for a while, call the ICE field office that covers the area where the arrest happened. We cover those first stops in more detail in our guide to county jail versus ICE detention centers, and we walk through the locator step by step in how to find someone detained by ICE in Florida.
What is an A-number, and why does everyone ask for it?
The A-number (alien registration number) is the identifying number the government assigns to a person’s immigration file. It usually has nine digits; older eight-digit numbers are entered with a zero in front. If your loved one has ever had a work permit, a green card application, a USCIS receipt notice, or a Notice to Appear, the number is printed on it. If they have never had any contact with immigration authorities, ICE assigns one during processing.
Write the A-number down somewhere safe once you have it. You will use it to search the locator, to check the case on the immigration court’s Automated Case Information portal, to deposit money at many facilities, to post bond, and every time you talk with a lawyer.
How Can I Talk to Someone in ICE Detention?
You generally cannot call a person in ICE detention. Calls go out from the facility, placed by the detainee through the phone or tablet system that facility contracts with, and families usually need to open a prepaid account with that vendor to receive calls, texts, or video visits. Each message and call costs money, and the prices and apps differ from one facility to the next.
ICE’s own telephone access standard requires facilities to offer reasonably priced phone service and to take and deliver messages to detainees as promptly as possible, including emergency messages from family. A few practical habits make a real difference:
- Agree on a time. Since your loved one has to call you, pick a daily window when you will have your phone on and can answer numbers you do not recognize.
- Memorize numbers. People in detention usually lose access to the contacts saved in their cell phone. Two or three numbers they know by heart, including a lawyer’s, are worth more than a full address book they cannot open.
- Keep case details for the lawyer. Personal calls can be monitored or recorded. The same standard says calls to a legal representative may not be electronically monitored without a court order, so the details of the case belong on those calls.
Every facility has its own page on ICE’s detention facilities directory with its visitation rules, phone vendor, and deposit instructions. Look up the specific facility before setting up anything.
How Do I Put Money on a Detainee’s Account?
Money on a detainee’s account pays for phone time, tablet messages, hygiene items, snacks, and small comforts like headphones. The amount does not need to be large, but some money on the account is what makes regular contact possible.
Deposit methods vary by facility. At Krome North in Miami, for example, ICE’s deposit instructions describe an electronic trust account and accept mailed U.S. Postal Service money orders only when they carry the detainee’s full name and A-number. Use only the methods listed on the facility’s ICE page or given to you by the facility, and keep every receipt.
Be careful with anyone who contacts you offering to get your loved one released for a payment. ICE bonds are paid through ICE’s own CeBONDS system, as described below, never through a stranger’s payment app.
Can My Loved One Get a Bond Hearing in 2026?
It depends on the law ICE is using to hold them. When a person is detained under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a), an immigration judge can review ICE’s custody decision under 8 C.F.R. § 1003.19 and set a bond, which by statute cannot be lower than $1,500. Other categories carry mandatory detention, where the judge cannot set bond at all: certain criminal convictions, people stopped at the border or placed in expedited removal, and people who already have a final removal order.
The biggest fight over the last year has been about people who entered without inspection and later built a life inside the country. In September 2025, the Board of Immigration Appeals decided Matter of Yajure Hurtado, 29 I&N Dec. 216, and held that immigration judges have no authority to hear bond requests from people present without admission. Federal courts pushed back hard. For anyone detained in Florida, Georgia, or Alabama, the Eleventh Circuit decided Hernandez Alvarez v. Warden on May 6, 2026, holding that the mandatory detention provision does not reach people living in the interior who are not actively seeking admission. Their detention falls under § 1226, which generally makes them eligible for bond.
Other circuits disagree. The Fifth Circuit (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi) and the Eighth Circuit have sided with the government, and petitions asking the Supreme Court to settle the question are pending, including Buenrostro-Mendez, No. 26-43. That means the answer can change, and it can turn on where your loved one is physically held. We track the split in our post on why federal appeals courts are divided on ICE bond hearings.
When an immigration judge cannot or will not consider bond, the remaining paths are a habeas corpus petition in federal court or a request to ICE for parole. Which of the three (bond, habeas, or parole) fits depends on the person’s entry, history, and criminal record, if any, and a wrong first filing can cost time.
How Long Does It Take to Get a Bond Hearing?
There is no fixed deadline. Some people get a hearing within days; others wait weeks, and people with no one working on their case from the outside can sit in detention for months. The timing depends on whether ICE set a bond itself, how busy the immigration court’s detained docket is, whether eligibility is contested, and how quickly the family can get the documents together.
Speed is not the only goal. Under the bond regulation, a request after the first bond hearing has to be in writing and show that circumstances have changed materially. A rushed, thin packet can use up the best chance at release. DHS can also appeal a bond decision, and in some situations that appeal keeps the person detained while it is pending.
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Who Can Be a Bond Sponsor, and What Documents Do They Need?
A bond sponsor is the person your loved one will live with after release, who promises the court they will have a stable home and will show up to every hearing and check-in. Sponsors are usually U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, and a close relationship (spouse, partner, parent, adult child, sibling) carries the most weight. The sponsor and the person who pays the bond are often the same, but they do not have to be.
The sponsor’s job on paper is to prove three things: lawful status, a stable address, and the means to support the person. For the sponsor’s affidavit of release support, we ask sponsors to gather:
- Proof of status. A U.S. passport is best. Without one, a U.S. birth certificate or naturalization certificate plus a government photo ID. Permanent residents provide both sides of their green card.
- Birth certificate. Useful as a backup even when the sponsor has a passport.
- Federal tax returns for the last three years. These show steady income over time.
- Bank statements for the last four months. These show current resources.
- Utility bills in the sponsor’s name (electric, water, or phone) at the address where your loved one will live. A signed lease naming the sponsor at that address works in place of a utility bill.
- Recent pay stubs or an employer letter, if the sponsor is employed.
Immigration judges weigh a fixed address and family ties when deciding bond, factors the Board laid out in Matter of Guerra, 24 I&N Dec. 37 (BIA 2006), and the sponsor packet is the evidence for both.
Sponsor affidavit template
Along with the documents, the sponsor writes and signs a short affidavit in their own words. The template below shows the structure. Replace everything in brackets, delete any sentence that does not apply, and only include what the sponsor knows personally and can confirm is true, since the affidavit is signed under penalty of perjury. Attach a copy of the sponsor’s ID and proof of status.
Affidavit of Support for Release
Template: replace every [bracketed] item and remove anything that does not apply.
I, [Full Name of Affiant], a [legal status, e.g., U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident] of the United States, residing in [City, State], having personal knowledge of the contents of this affidavit, declare under penalty of perjury that the following is true and correct:
1. I live at [Full Address]. My telephone number is [Phone Number].
2. I personally know [Name of Detainee] as [relationship, e.g., my brother, my partner, a close friend]. I have known [him/her/them] for about [X] years. [He/She/They] is from [Country]. I met [him/her/them] through [brief story of how you met]. [He/She/They] often [visits me, stays with me, etc.]. [Optional: a brief example from your time together.]
3. I will support [Name of Detainee] upon release from detention with everything [he/she/they] needs. This includes [specific support, e.g., housing at my address, food, transportation to every court hearing and ICE appointment].
4. I know that [Name of Detainee] is not a danger to the community. [He/She/They] is a very [positive traits, e.g., loving, caring, respectful] person.
5. [He/She/They] has been a great [friend/sibling/partner/etc.] to me. [He/She/They] helped me when [brief example of support] and has always been there for me. [He/She/They] always takes care of [his/her/their] loved ones. I have never seen [him/her/them] be violent. [Optional, only if there is an arrest or charge and you know the facts personally: briefly explain what you know about it.] I am offering [him/her/them] my trust and support.
Signature: ______________________________
[Full Name of Affiant]
Date: [Month Day, Year]
What Documents Help the Detained Person’s Bond Case?
The judge decides two questions: whether the person is a danger to the community, and whether they are likely to show up for future hearings. Everything in the bond packet should answer one of those questions. The documents we usually ask families to collect for the detained person are:
- Letters of support, at least three, from family, employers, pastors, coworkers, or neighbors who know the person well. Each letter should be signed and dated, give the writer’s contact information, and come with a copy of the writer’s ID.
- Identity documents: passport or national ID card, and Form I-94 if the person entered with one.
- U.S. tax returns the person has filed, if any.
- Proof of residence in their name: phone bills, utility bills, or a lease.
- Bank statements in their name.
- Proof of work history: pay stubs or a letter from an employer.
- Family documents: birth certificates of U.S. citizen children, a marriage certificate, and proof of relatives’ status.
- Court records for any arrest, including dismissed charges, along with certificates for any completed classes or programs.
Letter of support template
Friends and relatives with legal status can use the structure below to write a character letter. The best letters sound like the person who wrote them and include specific, true examples, so use the template as an outline rather than copying it word for word; judges notice when several letters in a packet read the same. A letter written in another language needs a full English translation with a translator’s certificate under 8 C.F.R. § 1003.33.
Letter of Support (Good Moral Character)
Template: the bold notes explain what each paragraph should cover, so delete them from your letter. Replace every [bracketed] item, write the details in your own words, and remove anything that does not apply.
[Your Full Name]
[Your Phone Number]
[Your Full Address]
[Month Day, Year]
Letter of Support for [Full Name of Detainee]
Dear Immigration Judge,
[Who you are and how you know the person] I am writing to support [Full Name of Detainee], who is currently detained by ICE. I am a [U.S. citizen / lawful permanent resident] and [his/her/their] [relationship, e.g., mother-in-law, cousin, employer, pastor, neighbor]. I have known [Name] since [year], when [how you met].
[What kind of person they are] [Name] is [two or three honest traits, e.g., kind, hardworking, patient]. [One or two specific examples: something they do regularly, how they help others, their work, faith, studies, or interests.]
[Their ties to family and community] [Name] lives in [City, State] with [family members]. [Describe their role in the family, their work, church, or community, and how long they have been part of it.]
[Why they are not a danger] To my knowledge, [Name] [has no arrests and has never been violent / if there is an arrest you know about, briefly and honestly describe what you know]. [He/She/They] has always been [peaceful, responsible, respectful].
[How the detention is affecting the family] Since [Name] was detained, [describe the effect on the spouse, children, or family: emotional stress, missed school or work, lost income, extra hours others are working to cover bills].
[What will happen if they are not released] If [Name] remains detained, [describe the likely harm to the family, the children, the household finances, or the person’s health].
[Optional: support after release] If [Name] is released, I will [help with transportation to every court hearing and ICE appointment / provide a place to stay / other specific support].
[Your request] I respectfully ask that you consider releasing [Name] or granting any relief that is possible. [One sentence about why they belong with their family and community.]
If you have any questions, please contact me at [Phone Number].
I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.
Executed on this ____ day of ______________, 20___.
Signature: ______________________________
[Your Full Name]
[Your Full Address]
[Your Phone Number]
Sign the letter by hand, and attach a copy of your photo ID and proof of your status (such as a U.S. passport or green card).
Scan everything into one folder and send copies to the legal team, never originals. Anything that shows the person may qualify for relief from removal, such as a pending petition or a receipt notice, belongs in the packet too, because a person with a real case to win has every reason to keep coming to court.
What Happens If ICE Tries to Transfer My Loved One?
Transfers are common, and they often move people far from home. In fiscal year 2026, TRAC’s detention data shows Texas holding 16,450 ICE detainees and Louisiana 7,680, compared with 3,934 in Florida. Across the country, 65,765 people were in ICE detention as of July 11, 2026, and 70.6% of them had no criminal conviction.
ICE’s detainee transfer policy (Policy 11022.1) directs officers to generally avoid transfers when the person has an attorney of record, immediate family in the area, pending proceedings, or a scheduled bond hearing, though the policy allows exceptions. It requires ICE to notify the attorney of record no later than 24 hours after a transfer. It does not require ICE to notify the family.
What helps most is having a lawyer on the case early, and making sure your loved one knows their lawyer’s name, the lawyer’s phone number, and any scheduled hearing date so they can tell officers. If a transfer happens anyway, search the locator again and call the lawyer. A move to another state can change which immigration court hears the case and which federal circuit’s law applies, which, as explained above, can change whether bond is even on the table.
How Do I Pay an Immigration Bond?
Once the judge or ICE sets a bond, it is paid online through ICE’s Cash Electronic Bonds system (CeBONDS). The person who pays is called the obligor.
Who can pay the bond
- The obligor must have legal immigration status in the United States as a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.
- The obligor must provide a Social Security Number or a taxpayer identification number (TIN or ITIN).
- The obligor must be inside the United States at the time of payment.
Step-by-step payment instructions
- Go to cebonds.ice.gov.
- Create a CeBONDS account by selecting "Click Here to Post a Bond."
- Once registered, search for your loved one using their full name and A-number.
- Pay by electronic bank transfer (Fedwire or ACH). Cash, checks, and credit or debit cards are not accepted through the system.
- Submit during bond processing hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the local time of the detention facility, excluding government holidays.
- Allow about one to two hours for verification and payment processing.
- Once the bond is approved and the bond contract (Form I-352) is signed, the person is generally released by the end of the next business day.
If you have trouble with the online system or do not have access to banking services, you can contact an immigration surety bond company or a community organization that assists with immigration bonds. Bond companies usually charge a fee that is not refunded. A cash bond paid through CeBONDS is returned to the obligor when ICE cancels the bond on Form I-391, as long as every condition was met; if the person misses a required appearance, ICE can declare the bond breached and keep the money. Some families raise part of the bond and legal fees through community fundraising. Whatever route you take, keep a copy of the signed Form I-352 and the payment confirmation.
What Happens After Release on Bond?
Release on bond ends the detention. The removal case keeps going, and the next steps matter as much as the bond hearing did.
- Follow the judge’s bond conditions. A bond order can come with conditions set by the judge. For example, the person may not work without prior authorization from the Department of Homeland Security, may not drive without a valid driver’s license, and must attend every immigration hearing.
- Every hearing counts. If a hearing is missed, the bond money can be lost and the judge can order removal in the person’s absence. Check the next date regularly on the EOIR case portal.
- Report every move. Anyone in immigration court proceedings must file Form EOIR-33 within five days of changing address, under 8 C.F.R. § 1003.15(d)(2).
- Follow ICE’s release conditions. ICE may place the person in its Alternatives to Detention program, which uses an ankle monitor, the SmartLINK phone app, or phone check-ins, along with office or home visits. TRAC counts 183,181 people monitored through these programs as of July 11, 2026. Participants do not pay for the equipment, according to ICE’s program FAQ. Ask the officer before any travel outside the permitted area, including trips to an airport.
- Watch the seven-day window. If the conditions of release are too strict, a request to have an immigration judge change them generally must be filed within seven days of release under 8 C.F.R. § 1236.1(d)(1). After that, the request goes to ICE, which recommends reviewing participants’ supervision levels every 30 days.
The obligor has obligations too. With a delivery bond, ICE can send the obligor a notice (Form I-340) to bring the person to a specific place at a specific time, and a late or missed appearance can breach the bond. Keep your own address current with ICE so those notices reach you.
Can Families Prepare Before Anyone Is Detained?
Yes, and preparation is one of the few parts of this process a family fully controls. If someone in your household could be at risk:
- Have them memorize two or three phone numbers, including a lawyer’s.
- Keep copies of their passport, A-number, and immigration papers with a trusted person who does not live with them.
- Decide now who would serve as sponsor, and have that person keep their tax returns, bank statements, and bills organized.
- Make a plan for children, pets, rent, and car payments in case a parent is detained.
- Start collecting letters of support and work records while things are calm, since getting them from a detention center is much harder.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I call someone in ICE detention?
No. Detainees place calls out through the facility’s phone or tablet system, usually to people who have set up a prepaid account with the facility’s vendor. In an emergency, you can call the facility and leave a message; ICE’s telephone standard requires facilities to pass emergency messages to the detainee as soon as possible.
Does a bond sponsor have to be a U.S. citizen?
No. Lawful permanent residents often serve as sponsors, and the judge looks at the sponsor’s status, address, relationship, and ability to support the person. The person who pays the bond through ICE’s online system must be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, have a Social Security Number or ITIN, and be inside the United States at the time of payment.
Can I pay an immigration bond with a credit card?
No. CeBONDS accepts payment only by Fedwire or ACH transfer from a bank account; cash, checks, and cards are not accepted through the system. Families without bank access can contact an immigration surety bond company, which usually charges a nonrefundable fee, or a community organization that helps with immigration bonds.
How long does someone have to wear an ICE ankle monitor?
There is no set period. ICE assigns the level of supervision based on factors like immigration history, compliance, family ties, and medical conditions, and it recommends reviewing each case every 30 days. A good compliance record supports a request to step down to the phone app or phone check-ins. If you want an immigration judge to change the conditions, that request generally has to be filed within seven days of release.
How We Can Help
We represent people held in ICE detention and the families working to bring them home. That work includes bond hearings, putting together the bond packet, federal habeas corpus petitions when bond is refused, and the removal defense case that continues after release. We start by reviewing the detention category, because that determines which path is available and which filing should come first.
Our founding attorney Denisse Ilabaca is Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law by The Florida Bar, a distinction held by fewer than two percent of Florida attorneys.
If someone you love is in ICE detention, start with a free pre-evaluation through our contact page or call us at (407) 917-2087. If your case is a fit, we will set up a paid consultation with a full case review and a written flat-fee quote.
Disclaimer: This article provides general information about immigration detention and bond and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship with Ilabaca Law, PLLC. Detention and bond law is changing quickly, and the right steps depend on the specific facts of each case. Please consult a qualified immigration attorney about your situation.