Why does the address say Los Fresnos?
Because the name follows the facility, not the town. The address is 27991 Buena Vista Blvd., Los Fresnos, TX 78566, the same as the Port Isabel Service Processing Center. EOIR's court page even sits at a web address that says Los Fresnos, and its control list shows Los Fresnos, TX (Port Isabel). If you type Port Isabel into a map, you may be sent to the wrong place, so enter the full street address. EOIR's page, updated October 15, 2026, also says this is a DHS-controlled facility and that visitors must comply with DHS security to get in.
What can I bring through DHS security?
EOIR sends court visitors to ICE's facility page for entry rules, and says itself that visitors must not bring cameras, video or recording equipment. ICE's visiting rules, written for detainee visits, ban electronic devices in secure areas, provide lockers, require adults to show "a valid, verifiable government-issued identification card," and ask you to arrive 45 minutes before a visit. Treat those as a guide, not a court rule, and ask the court about your hearing. EOIR's page does not mention ID. Parking costs nothing and there are plenty of spaces, EOIR says.
Which number do I call: court or facility?
Call 956-254-5700 or write to PortIsabel.Immigration.Court@usdoj.gov for the court. Call 956-547-1700, ICE's line for the facility and the Harlingen field office, to ask about a detainee, with the person's names, aliases, date of birth and country of birth ready. ICE says that line takes information calls 24 hours a day. Detainees cannot receive incoming calls, and urgent messages go through that same number. For case information, ICE's page and EOIR both give 1-800-898-7180: enter the 9 digits of the A-number, with a 0 first if it has 8. The guide to finding a hearing covers other ways.
When can family visit the same day as a hearing?
A hearing and a family visit follow different rules. Hearings are open to the public with limited exceptions and no advance notice, within court hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ICE's visiting hours are 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, with last entrance at 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday slots depend on the first letter of the detainee's last name, so check ICE's table before a weekend trip. Visits are non-contact and normally last one hour. Attorneys can schedule through ERO eFile for 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily; walk-ins are permitted, but scheduled visits have priority. Bond runs separately, as the bond hearing guide explains.
Which facilities and judges are listed with this court?
EOIR's Administrative Control List, updated October 1, 2026, shows a short entry and no other hearing sites: the Port Isabel Detention Center, the East Hidalgo facility and the Coastal Bend Detention Center. The court page names Assistant Chief Immigration Judge Melissa Joy Garcia, court administrator Robert Barry and four immigration judges: Paul A. Hable, Margaret R. MacGregor, Joseph Secola and James Worley. EOIR's internet hearing directory, updated October 29, 2026, shows the same 5 people with Webex links and access codes for 1-415-527-5035. Neither list shows who has a given case. Before a master calendar hearing, ask the court how a detained person will appear.
How do I get papers to a court inside a detention facility?
EOIR lists window filing hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday except federal holidays, so hand delivery means clearing DHS security first and arriving well before the close. Filings may also go by USPS or courier to the street address in Los Fresnos. The court has no mailbox rule, and receipt by a detention facility is not receipt by the court, so a document counts only when the court has it. Attorneys and accredited representatives of record must use ECAS in eligible cases. The Harlingen court is separate, so do not send papers there. Asylum clock requests go only to Asylum.Clock.Port.Isabel@usdoj.gov.