How do I confirm someone is at Coastal Bend?
Nothing on this page proves that a particular person is here. Search ICE's Online Detainee Locator at ice.gov/locator with the A-number and country of birth; if the A-number has fewer digits than the nine ICE describes, it may begin with zeros. Without it, search the exact first and last name with country of birth, and try each Latin spelling. When a result appears, ICE's brochure says to confirm by phone, because the data can be up to eight hours old. Call (361) 767-3400 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. with names, aliases, date of birth and country of birth. People under 18 are not shown in the locator. If the locator shows nothing, ICE's brochure says to contact the ERO field office: ICE's page for this facility lists the Harlingen Field Office at (361) 879-4401, and ICE's ERO list shows (956) 389-7884 for Harlingen. A record marked with another facility means you should read that facility's rules, since visiting days and mailing steps differ.
Who do I call with an urgent message, and what about after hours?
ICE's page, marked updated October 6, 2026, gives two routes at the same main number, (361) 767-3400. For an urgent message, ask for the Chaplain at ext. 248, or the classification department at ext. 224. After regular hours or on weekends, ask for the shift supervisor. Leave the person's full name, A-number, your name and a callback number. Detained people cannot receive incoming calls. The facility has tablets, but ICE says all tablet contact must be started by the detained person, so you cannot reach them that way. So leave your number in the message, or the person may have no way to start that contact. Consular help is possible too: a consular official may visit at any time, and ICE asks that it be coordinated with the Supervisory Deportation Officer at ext. 278 or (361) 879-4401.
When are family visits, and how do I avoid wasting the trip?
The window here is narrow. As read on October 30, 2026, friends and family may visit on Saturdays, Sundays and listed federal holidays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., and each detained person gets one visit per week. The holiday list includes Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Coordinate with other relatives, because a visit by one of you may use the week. Visits are non-contact and last at least 60 minutes; leaving the room without permission ends the visit. Bring a current passport, driver's license or state ID; expired ID is not accepted. Everyone must wear pants and a shirt with closed-toe shoes, and tight or torn clothing is barred, with the page naming dresses, spandex, capris and tank tops. Handbags, phones, tablets, Apple watches, computers, tobacco, and outside food or drink are barred. Do not park in numbered spaces. Call (361) 767-3400 first to confirm.
How do mail, money and packages work at Coastal Bend?
Letters need the last four digits of the A-number plus your name and address. Staff screen mail for contraband but do not read it, and detained people may seal their outgoing letters. ICE's page gives no separate money address or online deposit service. It says funds received by mail go into the person's account with a receipt, and it warns against mailing cash, so call (361) 767-3400 for the accepted method before sending anything. Packages need two approvals: the Deportation Officer at the Corpus Christi Sub Office, (361) 879-4401, and the Property Officer at ext. 326. Only items needed for travel or release qualify. Someone being removed may have one small piece of luggage sent, after Supervisory Deportation Officer approval; electronics are refused. After a transfer, general letters go back to the sender and only legal mail is forwarded.
How does a lawyer reach a client here without ERO eFile?
Unlike Jackson Parish or Krome, where ERO eFile handles these requests, ICE's page here sends video and confidential phone requests to a mailbox: cbintake@geogroup.com, or by calling (361) 767-3400. Requests should come at least 24 hours ahead, Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., in blocks of 30 to 60 minutes, with one 60-minute session per lawyer per detained person per day. The email needs the lawyer's ID and bar or license document, the person's name and A-number, proposed times, and a G-28 unless the visit is pre-representational. In-person attorney hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the facility can be asked about extended hours. Legal fax is (361) 767-1567, with a cover sheet showing name, A-number and page count. To learn who the Deportation Officer is, a lawyer with a G-28 on file calls (361) 879-4401. See our removal defense page.
Is bond possible for someone held in Texas?
Often not, for people who entered without inspection. Texas is in the Fifth Circuit, and its February 6, 2026 decision in Buenrostro-Mendez v. Bondi arose from Texas cases and treats people present without admission as subject to mandatory detention. Sosnava Rodriguez v. Vergara, decided by the full court on October 23, 2026, also arose in Texas. It holds that due process requires no bond hearing for people held under that statute while removal remains a viable prospect, and that this includes someone released earlier and detained again. It vacated those habeas grants. The 90-day hearing rule from the earlier panel opinion, 180 F.4th 702, was vacated too, so ignore it if you see it online. The entry history matters, so gather the visa, parole or border papers now. Our bond hearing guide explains who is outside these rulings and what the Laken Riley Act adds. Stated as of October 30, 2026.
If a Texas judge cannot set bond, what else can be done?
Have a lawyer assess a federal habeas corpus petition now. Habeas is how these Texas cases reached the courts. A federal judge decides it, and a challenge to present confinement belongs only in the district where the person is held. For people who entered without inspection, the bond-statute argument is closed in this circuit, so the question is whether another ground fits. The full court left these open: removal that has become only a remote possibility, detention that no longer serves an immigration purpose, removal proceedings used as a facade, a factual dispute over whether the person is covered, or other legal grounds. Bring the lawyer anything that bears on those, such as papers showing removal cannot happen. The Supreme Court will review the statutory question only, in No. 26-104, granted October 1, 2026, and the government sought more briefing time on October 16, 2026, with no argument date listed. Waiting for that decision is not a plan for someone in custody today.
What happens to the case while someone is at Coastal Bend?
A detention address does not tell you which court has the case, so do not assume one from Robstown's location. The Notice to Appear and any Notice of Hearing control. Use our hearing guide to check the date on EOIR's site or at 1-800-898-7180; bond details are not shown online, so ask the court directly. EOIR says hearings are held at the detention facility or the immigration court, by video or telephone, and that DHS must bring the person. ICE's page does not say which applies here, and no court is named on it, so when a Notice of Hearing arrives, send a copy to the lawyer that day and ask the court how the person will appear. Applications for relief go to the court, not to ICE. The mailbox Harlingen.Outreach@ice.dhs.gov accepts case information requests, but ICE says it does not take stays of removal or case appeals. Prepare the family's questions for the first master calendar hearing. Evidence already in the removal file must be filed again for a bond hearing, because EOIR keeps those records separate.
If a bond is posted or the person is moved, what comes next?
Where a bond exists, the person who posts it takes on real risk. Under ICE's bond page, updated July 1, 2026, that person becomes the obligor and must have the detained person report each time ICE issues a Form I-340. ICE warns that even one day late can count as a breach, which forfeits the deposit. The bond lasts until ICE issues Form I-391. Citizens, permanent residents, law firms and non-profits can post through CeBONDS from inside the United States only, paying the full amount by Fedwire or ACH on weekdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., detention time. After release, the person must update the court with Form EOIR-33 and keep going to hearings; a missed one risks an in absentia order. If DHS instead transfers the person, it must notify the court, but the family hears nothing automatically, so check the locator regularly. For help in Russian, Ace Immigration's attorney, Anna Tsibel, is licensed by the California bar; send a consultation request with the A-number. No lawyer can promise release.