How to Find a Family Member in ICE Custody in Virginia

The question comes in many forms, but it usually sounds like this: someone in the family did not come home, and the household has learned ICE took them. The first task is to find out where they are. This is a step-by-step guide to how to find someone in ICE custody in Virginia, what phone numbers reach the two main detention facilities, and what the household should collect while that search is running. We at First Point Law Group have helped Northern Virginia families work through detention since 2004, from our office at 10521 Judicial Drive, Suite 300, Fairfax, in English and in Spanish.

¿Busca a un familiar detenido por ICE en Virginia? Le ayudamos en español.

Step 1: Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator to Find Someone in ICE Custody

ICE maintains the official Online Detainee Locator System at locator.ice.gov. It is a public database, free to use, and available around the clock.

The system offers two search paths. The first requires the A-number, the nine-digit Alien Registration Number printed on most immigration documents, combined with the person’s country of birth. That path is the most direct. The second uses full name, country of birth, and date of birth.

If you are searching by name, try every form of it. Use both family names, any hyphenated version, common nickname variations, and any spelling the person uses on official papers. A person who was detained the same day may not appear yet; the record takes time to process. The locator does not display records for people under 18.

An empty result is not a final answer. Wait a few hours and search again. Try alternate spellings. If nothing appears after 24 to 48 hours, call the ICE Washington Field Office at (703) 633-2100. That office covers Virginia detention directly. A live agent can confirm whether the record is delayed or a transfer is pending. If you have a facility name from a phone call or a text message from the person themselves, call that facility directly while the online record catches up. When the locator finds the person, it returns the facility name and the contact information for that location. That is your next call.

Virginia’s Two Main ICE Detention Facilities

People detained in Northern Virginia are most often transferred to one of two facilities in central Virginia, both operated under ICE’s Washington Field Office. Some people are held at other Virginia locations not listed on ice.gov as dedicated ICE facilities, and some are transferred to facilities in other states. The locator result, not an assumption, tells you where to call.

Farmville Detention Center

508 Waterworks Road, Farmville, VA 23901 (Prince Edward County)

ICE’s Farmville facility page lists (434) 395-8114 for detainee information, available 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The facility is operated by CoreCivic under contract with ICE. Social visits are non-contact and must be scheduled in advance through CoreCivic’s Farmville scheduling page. Call to confirm current procedures before you drive. Visiting rules change.

Caroline Detention Facility

11093 SW Lewis Memorial Drive, Bowling Green, VA 22427 (Caroline County)

ICE’s Caroline facility page lists (804) 633-0043, ext. 151 or ext. 261, available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., for detainee information. Social visits take place on weekends, organized by custody level. Visits are non-contact. No visits are permitted during a person’s first ten days at the facility. Confirm current scheduling and procedures with the facility before traveling.

When you call either number, have ready: the person’s full legal name including any hyphenated names or aliases, date of birth, and country of birth. The ICE detainee locator links to each facility’s current page. Check that page on the day you plan to call or visit. Those details change.

Step 2: Gather the Papers While You Search

While the locator search runs, collect what the household has. This folder of documents matters for every step that follows.

• The A-number and any immigration documents, including any prior petitions or approval notices.
• Any Notice to Appear or prior hearing notices from immigration court.
• Any Virginia criminal or traffic court papers, if the detention followed an arrest.
• Documents showing the family’s presence in Northern Virginia: a lease, utility bills, an employer letter, or children’s school records.

That folder is what we ask you to bring to Judicial Drive. It is also what an immigration judge examines when a bond request is made.

Step 3: The Three Questions Families Ask Next

Once a family member is located, attention shifts from where to what comes next.

Is there a bond?

Not everyone held by ICE qualifies for a bond hearing before an immigration judge. The analysis turns on how the person entered the country, whether a prior removal order is on file, and what the criminal history shows. A Virginia criminal matter, even one that felt routine at the time of sentencing, can affect bond eligibility in ways the household did not anticipate. Our guide to immigration bonds explains how the custody hearing works, how bond amounts are set, and how the deposit is recovered after the case closes.

When is the first court date?

If an immigration court case is already open, the EOIR Automated Case Information System lets you check hearing status using the A-number. The first appearance is usually a master calendar hearing. Brief as that proceeding is, missing it triggers consequences that are difficult to reverse. Our article on the Notice to Appear explains what that document sets in motion and what the household must do to protect the right to appear.

Can an attorney visit the facility?

Yes. An attorney of record can communicate with a detained client at Farmville and Caroline, subject to facility scheduling. The sooner legal counsel files the EOIR-28 notice of attorney appearance with the immigration court, the sooner the attorney receives official court notices and can act. The window between detention and the first master calendar hearing can be short. Having counsel in place before that date preserves options.

What We Review Before We Advise

We at First Point Law Group read the detention papers, any court notices, prior immigration filings, and Virginia criminal or family court records before we discuss strategy. The detention record, the criminal history, and the immigration file need to be read as one picture. We will not tell you the outcome before we have read those papers.

Our attorneys are admitted to the Supreme Court of Virginia, the Court of Appeals of Virginia, and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Si su familia necesita el asunto en español, lo hacemos.

Schedule a File Review

Call (703) 385-6868 or email contact@firstpointlaw.com to request a file review. Bring the folder. Our office is at 10521 Judicial Drive, Suite 300, Fairfax, VA 22030.

Attorney advertising. Contacting us or reading this does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every matter depends on its own facts. We review the file before we advise.