ICE holds people in Florida at a small set of federal and contracted facilities, led by the Krome North Service Processing Center in Miami and the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach, plus county jails that hold people under contract. The fastest way to learn where a specific person is held is the ICE Online Detainee Locator System, and this guide explains which Florida facilities we can confirm, what is still changing, and how calls and visits generally work.
The short version
Confirmed ICE sites: Krome (Miami) and Broward Transitional Center (Pompano Beach), both with ICE facility pages; Glades County (Moore Haven) and Baker County (Macclenny) are contracted sites.
Still changing: State-run sites such as “Alligator Alcatraz” (emptied in June 2026) and the “Deportation Depot” in Baker County.
To find someone: Search the ICE locator by A-number, or by name and country of birth.
What this does not cover: Every county jail that holds people for ICE, and any facility ICE opens after this article was written.
Key Takeaways
- Florida detention sites change quickly, so treat any list (including ours) as a starting point and confirm the facility through the ICE locator before you travel.
- At the two ICE facility pages we reviewed, detainees cannot receive incoming calls; they call out, and families can call the facility for information during listed hours.
- Visiting rules, hours and mail rules are set facility by facility, so check the facility itself before you go or send anything.
Which ICE detention centers operate in Florida?
ICE publishes a page for each facility it uses, and the ICE detention management page explains that each facility must follow one of several sets of ICE detention standards. The four sites below come up most often for Florida families. We checked each against ICE or other public sources in September 2026, and we say plainly where we could not confirm a detail.
Krome North Service Processing Center (Miami). ICE’s Krome page lists the address as 18201 SW 12th Street, Miami, FL 33194, and a general information number of (305) 207-2001 (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.). ICE lists it as an operational detention facility.
Broward Transitional Center (Pompano Beach). ICE’s Broward Transitional Center page lists 3900 N. Powerline Road, Pompano Beach, FL 33073, phone (954) 973-4485, and identifies The GEO Group as the operator.
Glades County Detention Center (Moore Haven). In April 2025, ICE announced that it had reinstated its agreement with Glades County to operate a detention center at the county jail, with up to 500 additional beds. We could not read ICE’s individual Glades facility page when we checked, so confirm the current address and phone through the locator result for the person you are looking for.
Baker County Detention Center (Macclenny). ICE keeps a facility page for Baker County, which is run through the county sheriff’s office. As with Glades, we could not read the full page, so we do not repeat its address or visiting details here.
Are the state-run sites part of this list?
They are in flux, and we do not want you to travel based on a headline. Two Florida-run sites drew national attention in 2025.
“Alligator Alcatraz” in the Everglades. The Eleventh Circuit ruled 2 to 1 in April 2026 that the site could stay open while the case continues in the district court, as reported by Courthouse News. In June 2026, DHS said all detainees had been moved out, citing hurricane season, and attorneys reported transfers to facilities in Florida and other states. DHS did not say whether the closure was permanent. We have not seen an official source that says people are being held there now.
The “Deportation Depot” in Sanderson. This is a separate site from the Baker County facility above. It operates at the former Baker Correctional Institution and, according to local reporting from January 2026, is run by the State of Florida. We could not confirm from an official source how custody is handled there or whether it is operating today.
The practical lesson is the same for both: a person can be moved, and the locator is the source to check first. If the locator shows a site you have never heard of, that is not unusual.
How do I find out where someone is detained?
Use the Online Detainee Locator System. ICE’s fact sheet on locating people in detention says it is available 24 hours a day and in Spanish and seven other languages, and that you need the person’s name, country of birth, and either their A-number or date of birth. The A-number is the number that starts with the letter A on DHS notices, work permits and a Notice to Appear.
If the search returns nothing, that does not always mean the person is not in custody. The same fact sheet tells you to contact the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations field office if you cannot find someone. Names in government records can differ from the name you use, so try spelling variations and the country of birth exactly as it appears on the person’s papers. Someone arrested recently may still be in a county jail and not yet in the ICE system. Our step-by-step guide on how to find someone detained by ICE in Florida covers county jail searches and field office calls, and our explanation of how a county jail differs from an ICE detention center helps you read what you find.
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How do phone calls work for someone in ICE detention?
At the Krome and Broward pages we reviewed, ICE states that detainees cannot receive incoming calls. Families call the facility’s information line during the listed hours with the person’s biographical information, and Krome’s page gives a separate number for urgent messages. That means you usually wait for the detained person to call you, and calls may come from an unfamiliar number.
ICE’s telephone standard (PBNDS 2011, Standard 5.6) says detainees must have reasonable access to phones during waking hours, and that calls to immigration courts, consulates, legal representatives and legal service providers on ICE’s free legal service list are free, along with calls in a personal or family emergency. It also says that, generally, the detainee or the person called pays for other calls. The standard requires privacy for legal calls. That standard is not the only one ICE uses, so a particular facility may follow different wording. Ask the facility, or the attorney you hire, how legal calls are scheduled there.
Can I visit, and what should I expect?
Often, yes, but the rules are set facility by facility. ICE’s visitation standard (PBNDS 2011, Standard 5.7) says visits are limited only by reasonable constraints of space, scheduling, staffing, safety and security, that adult visitors need government-issued photo identification, and that the facility decides whether visits are contact or non-contact.
The two ICE pages we reviewed show how different the details can be. Krome’s page describes one non-contact visit per week per detainee, up to one hour, with visitors arriving 45 minutes early. The Broward Transitional Center’s page describes non-contact visits of 45 minutes on an assigned weekend day, a limit of two visitors, and arrival one hour early. Those details can change, so call the facility’s information line before you drive. Bring valid photo ID for every adult in your group.
Can I send money or mail?
Only follow what the facility itself says. Krome’s ICE page tells senders to include the last four digits of the A-number plus the sender’s name and address, says mail is screened for contraband, and cautions detainees not to have cash sent by mail. The Broward Transitional Center page says letters should include the last four digits of the A-number and the sender’s name and address, and that funds may be mailed, with a receipt provided. Because the instructions differ, we do not recommend one method for every site.
What can families do besides visit and call?
The legal options we can discuss are limited, and which one fits depends on the person’s history and where they are held. Families often ask about three. A bond is a request for release while the case continues, and some people are not eligible. Habeas corpus is a federal court petition that challenges the legality of the detention itself. Parole is a discretionary release decision by DHS. Whether any of these is available depends on the facts and on current law, which courts are still deciding. Our guide to supporting a loved one in ICE detention covers how families can help in the meantime, and our ICE detention lawyer page explains how we approach these cases.
What this article does not change: it does not tell you which option applies to your family member, and no article can. Timing and strategy differ in every case, so please talk with an attorney about the specific facts before you decide what to file.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can I not find my family member in the ICE locator?
The person may be in a county jail, may have been arrested very recently, or may be listed under a different spelling of their name. ICE’s fact sheet says to contact the ICE field office if the locator does not return a result.
Can a detainee call me from any facility?
Detainees can place calls out, but at the two ICE pages we reviewed they cannot receive incoming calls. Who pays for a call depends on the call and on the facility, and ICE’s standard lists the free call categories, including calls to legal representatives.
Which Florida facility will my loved one be moved to?
We cannot predict that. People can be moved between facilities, including to other states, and ICE decides where to place someone. Check the locator for the current location instead of relying on what you read online.
Is Alligator Alcatraz still holding detainees?
DHS said in June 2026 that all detainees had been moved out, and we have not seen an official source that says it is holding people now. Because the situation has changed more than once, verify through the locator.
How We Can Help
If someone you love is held in a Florida facility, we can talk through what the locator shows and whether a bond request, a habeas petition or a parole request may apply. Call us at (407) 917-2087 or start with a free pre-evaluation. We review the facts to see whether we can help, and if it is a fit, we will invite you to a paid consultation with a written flat-fee quote.
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.
This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship with Ilabaca Law, PLLC. Detention facilities and immigration rules change often, so talk with a licensed attorney about your situation before you act.