How do I confirm someone is at Port Isabel?
Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator at ice.gov/locator, then call (956) 547-1700, which ICE lists as available 24 hours a day. If the locator shows many people with one name, look at the year of birth or use the A-number. Despite the name, the site is in Los Fresnos, so map that address, not the town of Port Isabel. ICE's directory gives the Harlingen office as (956) 389-7884. If the result names a different site, look it up in the ICE directory.
Which weekend slot fits the detained person's last name?
Weekdays and holidays are open to all, 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., last entrance 5:30 p.m. Weekends go by the detained person's last name, not yours. Saturday: A to F from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., G to L from 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday: M to R from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., S to Z from 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Arrive 45 minutes early. Visits run one hour unless approved in advance, possible for family traveling far. Adults need government ID. Only 1 minor at a time may join an adult guardian, aged 18 or older, at a non-contact visit.
How do mail and packages reach someone?
ICE prints Port Isabel Detention Center, 27991 Buena Vista Blvd., Los Fresnos, TX 78566, as the mailing address, so the name differs slightly from the facility's title. Letters must carry the last four digits of the A-number with your name and address. Call (956) 547-1700 before sending a package, since ICE wants that contact first and refuses electronic devices. If someone leaves or transfers, only legal mail follows them, and other letters come back to you.
What about money, tablets and urgent calls?
Port Isabel's page names no deposit vendor. It says mailed funds go to the processing area and are credited with a receipt, and it cautions against mailing cash. A lobby kiosk runs 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and takes cash and cards, but ICE does not say it funds detainee accounts, so ask the lobby officer. Tablets handle non-confidential messages through gettingout.com. For an urgent message, call (956) 547-1700 with the full name, A-number, and your name and phone. On commissary and phone accounts the page is silent; an ICE officer can answer.
Is the court on the same site?
Yes. The Port Isabel Immigration Court lists the same Buena Vista Blvd. address and phone 956-254-5700, and says it sits in a DHS-controlled detention facility, so expect metal detector and handbag screening. Confirm any case at 1-800-898-7180 or with the hearing lookup guide. Lawyers visit daily, 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and can schedule through ERO eFile up to 2 weeks ahead, no later than 24 hours before. Walk-ins are still permitted, though scheduled visits get priority. The Texas directory helps after a transfer.