What does ICE actually do, and who do I contact there?
Three branches matter, and they answer different questions. Enforcement and Removal Operations, ERO, handles arrest, transport, detention, bond and supervised release, and it carries out removal. Homeland Security Investigations, HSI, runs criminal investigations such as smuggling, trafficking and fraud. The Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, OPLA, represents DHS in immigration court. So custody, check-in and bond questions go to ERO, and a question about a court case goes to the OPLA field location handling it. ICE cannot give you a green card, and an ICE officer cannot decide your asylum claim. For a hearing date, use EOIR's system at 800-898-7180 and our guide to finding a hearing. Sensitive papers should go by U.S. Mail, because ICE warns that its online contact form is not secure for them.
How do I find a relative ICE has detained?
Start with the Online Detainee Locator System at locator.ice.gov. It needs the person's full name, plus either the A-number or the date of birth, and the country of birth. The A-number works best, and the search is exact, so try spelling variants of a Russian name. A person who does not appear may still be in custody, so call the ERO field office. Florida is covered from Miramar at (954) 843-5800. Los Angeles is (213) 830-7911 and San Diego is (619) 436-0410. The national line is 1-888-351-4024, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern. To discuss someone else's case, ICE requires a signed privacy waiver, or a Form G-28 from a lawyer. Field offices are not check-in locations, so use the location on the ICE Check-In page. Note the facility name, because it decides which court hears a bond request.
What happens right after an ICE arrest?
After an arrest without a warrant, the regulations call for a custody decision within 48 hours, except in an emergency. Do not sign a statement or form you have not understood; ask for an interpreter and a lawyer. If you entered without inspection and cannot prove two years here, you may face expedited removal with no judge. That program has applied nationwide since a D.C. Circuit order of July 17, 2026, so keep proof of residence at hand. Parole is no shield. On August 11, 2026, the same court lifted an order protecting parolees without ruling on legality, and people paroled at a port of entry may be treated as arriving aliens, whom the two-year limit does not cover. If you hold or held parole, get advice now. If you fear return, say so at once. If someone is in jail with an ICE detainer, the jail can hold them up to 48 hours past their normal release time, excluding weekends and holidays, so call a lawyer before release.
How do I post an immigration bond?
First confirm that bond exists. DHS or a judge sets the amount, and whether a judge can hear the request now depends heavily on where the person is held, as our bond hearing guide explains; federal appeals courts covering Florida and California have rejected the government's no-bond reading, though the government sought rehearing in the Eleventh Circuit; the Fifth and Eighth Circuits accepted it; and the Supreme Court has agreed to decide. To post, a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, law firm or non-profit uses CeBONDS, inside the United States only. You deposit the full amount by Fedwire or ACH, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the time zone of the place of detention. Without bank access, use a certified bond company. Read Form I-352, because you are promising the person will appear. The bond stays open until ICE issues Form I-391. If breached, the deposit is lost. Report a change in your own address on Form I-333.
How do ICE check-ins work, and what if I have a final order?
Book before you go. ICE says to use checkin.ice.gov/fos, enter your Subject ID and place of birth, and take the soonest slot, even if it falls after the date on your paperwork. If you cannot arrive at the exact time, you can come any time that day. Report a move to ICE within 5 days by calling 1-888-351-4024; another part of ICE's page says 5 business days, so use the shorter count. If you are on a Form I-220B order of supervision, it can require reporting, help obtaining a travel document and written notice of address changes. Breaking those terms can put you back in custody, and it carries the penalties in INA § 243(b). A check-in does not protect you from arrest, so anyone with a final order should see a lawyer beforehand and leave a plan with relatives. Our page on detention after a removal order explains the removal period.
Can ICE remove me while something is pending?
It depends on what is pending, so check before you rely on it. A timely appeal to the Board of a merits decision generally stops removal. Most motions do not: the rule for a motion to reopen is that ICE can act unless a stay is granted. The main exception is a motion to reopen an in absentia order, which stays removal until the judge rules. A pending USCIS application does not stop removal by itself. A petition to a federal court of appeals does not either, unless the court orders it. If ICE has told you to report for removal, take the letter to a lawyer the same day, since time for an emergency stay can be short. Ace Immigration's removal defense practice handles these urgent filings.