If someone you love has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, in Alaska, there is one fact that shapes everything else: Alaska has no permanent ICE detention center. People taken into immigration custody here are usually held only briefly in a state jail, most often the Anchorage Correctional Complex, and then flown thousands of miles to a detention facility in the Lower 48, most commonly the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington. That means the clock matters. The window while your person is still in Alaska is short, and once they are transferred they may be very far away. So the two most urgent things you can do are find exactly where your person is, and get an immigration attorney involved right away.
It also helps to understand the basic nature of this. ICE detention is civil, not criminal. A person is not being held as punishment for a crime; they are being held to secure their presence for immigration proceedings or removal. And unlike criminal court, immigration court does not provide a free, government appointed lawyer, which is why finding legal help early is so important.
One number matters more than anything else through all of this: the Alien Registration Number, called the A-Number. It is a nine digit number assigned to the case, found on immigration paperwork, a work permit, or court notices. Write it down and keep it close, because it follows your person from Alaska to wherever they are sent, and it is the key to locating them, posting any bond, and working with a lawyer.
How to find someone in ICE custody
ICE runs a free public tool called the Online Detainee Locator System, at locator.ice.gov. You can search by the A-Number, which is the most reliable way, or by the person's full name plus their country of birth and date of birth.
A few things make the difference between finding your person and coming up empty. The locator only matches names spelled exactly the way the government entered them, so if you get no result, try different spellings, swap the order of first and last names, and try with and without a middle name. Children under 18 do not appear in the system at all. And there can be a lag of a day or more before a newly detained person shows up.
The locator is especially useful in Alaska precisely because people get moved. The same search that shows your person in Anchorage today may show them in Tacoma next week, so check it again after a few days. If you cannot find them, call the facility directly, or call the ICE detention reporting line at 1-888-351-4024. Alaska falls under the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Seattle field office, which oversees immigration custody for Alaska, Washington, and Oregon, so that office is another point of contact.
Where ICE holds people in and from Alaska
Alaska is genuinely different from the rest of the country here. There is no dedicated immigration detention facility in the state. Instead, the federal government contracts with the Alaska Department of Corrections to hold ICE detainees temporarily in the state jail system, primarily at the Anchorage Correctional Complex in Anchorage. Most people are held there only a few days.
From there, the path almost always leads out of state. Detainees are typically flown to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, which serves as the main immigration detention facility for the Pacific Northwest, and where the immigration case then continues. Transfers can even go in both directions: at one point in 2025, ICE flew a group of detainees from Tacoma up to Anchorage to relieve crowding, held them about three weeks, then sent them back. The lesson for families is the same either way. Assume your person will be moved, keep checking the locator, and prepare for the case to be handled in the Pacific Northwest rather than in Alaska.
How someone ends up in ICE custody in Alaska
People most often enter the immigration system in Alaska in one of two ways: arrested directly by ICE, or first booked into a local jail on other charges and then moved into immigration custody. A significant share of those held for ICE in Alaska were first detained on state criminal charges.
Cooperation with ICE varies by agency. The Alaska Department of Corrections and the Kodiak Police Department have formal cooperation agreements with ICE, while the Anchorage Police Department, the Juneau Police Department, and the Alaska State Troopers have said they do not. Even without a formal agreement, when a person is booked into a jail their information can surface in federal databases, which is how ICE may become aware of someone and place a hold to take custody.
How the process and your person's rights work
Immigration cases are handled in immigration court, run by a separate agency called the Executive Office for Immigration Review, not by ICE. Once your person is transferred, the case will usually be heard in the Pacific Northwest. You can check case status through the court's automated system using the A-Number.
Here is what families most need to know about rights. A detained person has the right to be represented by a lawyer, but at their own expense, because the government does not provide one in immigration proceedings. They have the right to a list of free or low cost legal service providers. They generally have the right to a hearing before an immigration judge, and in many cases the right to ask that judge for release on bond. Some people are eligible for bond, which a judge can set and which can then be paid for release while the case continues; others fall under mandatory detention and are not eligible. An immigration attorney can tell you quickly which category applies, which is one more reason to act fast, especially given how quickly people leave Alaska.
How families can help from the outside
Move quickly and find a lawyer first. Because the Alaska window is short, contact an Alaska immigration attorney or legal aid organization as soon as you can, and understand that the case itself may continue in Washington after a transfer. Have the A-Number ready when you call.
Track the transfer. Keep checking the locator so you always know which facility your person is in, since money, phone, and visitation all depend on where they are at that moment.
Put money on their account and learn the phone system. While your person is in an Anchorage jail, the deposit and phone systems are run by the state corrections department; after a transfer to Tacoma or elsewhere, they are run by that facility and its vendors. Call to confirm how each works.
Keep the paperwork organized. Hold onto every document with the A-Number, every court notice, and every receipt, and share copies with the attorney.
Staying connected matters more than anything
Through all of the logistics, do not underestimate the simple power of staying in touch. A transfer to the Lower 48 can leave a person isolated and thousands of miles from everyone they know, frightened and cut off, and steady contact from home is one of the few things that genuinely helps a person hold on.
Letters and photos are the backbone of that connection. They are something your person can keep, read again on a hard night, and hold as proof that home has not let go, and they can follow your person from Alaska to wherever they are sent. InmateAid can help you send physical mail and photos to your loved one, printed and delivered the right way so it reaches them inside. Use it to send pictures of family, words of encouragement, or simply a reminder that someone is fighting for them on the outside. That steady contact, alongside a good lawyer, is the most practical support you can give while the case moves forward.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an ICE detention center in Alaska?
No. Alaska has no permanent ICE detention facility. The federal government contracts with the Alaska Department of Corrections to hold immigration detainees temporarily, mainly at the Anchorage Correctional Complex, usually for only a few days before they are moved.
Where are ICE detainees from Alaska taken?
Most are flown out of state to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, the main immigration detention facility for the Pacific Northwest, where the immigration case continues.
How do I find someone detained by ICE in Alaska?
Use the free Online Detainee Locator System at locator.ice.gov, searching by the nine digit A-Number or by full name, country of birth, and date of birth. Because people are moved quickly, check again every few days. People under 18 do not appear in the locator.
Does Alaska cooperate with ICE?
It varies by agency. The Alaska Department of Corrections and the Kodiak Police Department have cooperation agreements with ICE. The Anchorage and Juneau police departments and the Alaska State Troopers have said they do not, though jail bookings can still surface in federal databases.
Can someone be released from ICE detention on bond?
Sometimes. An immigration judge can set bond for people who are eligible, and it can then be paid for release while the case continues. Others are subject to mandatory detention and cannot get bond. An immigration attorney can determine which applies.
Discovery Offer - Silos 1-2
Search arrest records and find out where they are
If you're trying to locate someone who was arrested or find out where they are being held, TruthFinder searches arrest records, court records, and custody status across all 50 states.