ICE Detention in Arizona: How to Find and Support a Detained Loved One

Arizona is one of the largest immigration detention states in the country, so if someone you love has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, in Arizona, there is a good chance they are being held in the state rather than transferred far away. Most of that detention is concentrated in a cluster of large facilities between Phoenix and Tucson, in and around the towns of Eloy and Florence, plus a facility near the border at San Luis. Knowing that helps you act quickly on the two most urgent things: find exactly where your person is being held, and get an immigration attorney involved right away.

It helps to understand the 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 is the key to locating your person, 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.

If you cannot find them, call the facility directly if you know where they are, or call the ICE detention reporting line at 1-888-351-4024. Arizona falls under the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Phoenix field office, at 2035 North Central Avenue in Phoenix, reachable at 602-257-5900, which oversees immigration custody for the state.

Where ICE detention happens in Arizona

Most immigration detention in Arizona is concentrated in Pinal County, in a group of large facilities clustered around the towns of Eloy and Florence, between Phoenix and Tucson. The major ones include the Eloy Detention Center and the La Palma Correctional Center, both in Eloy, and the Central Arizona Florence Correctional Center and the Florence Service Processing Center in Florence. The Florence Service Processing Center also includes a short term staging area used to hold people briefly, often no more than about 72 hours, before they move elsewhere. Closer to the border, the San Luis Regional Detention Center in San Luis holds people as well.

Most of these are large facilities run by private prison companies under contract with ICE, and several of the Eloy and Florence facilities are operated by the same contractor. They sit in a relatively rural stretch of the state, which can make visiting a long drive, so plan ahead and confirm details with the specific facility. One practical advantage of the Florence and Eloy cluster is that immigration courts operate right there, so many cases are heard on site rather than far from where a person is held.

Arizona's detention capacity has been expanding. As immigration detention grew nationally in 2025 and 2026, federal officials moved to add Arizona capacity, including plans tied to a facility near Marana and a property acquired in the Phoenix suburb of Surprise. Because the active list changes quickly, always rely on the live locator rather than an old list.

How someone ends up in ICE custody in Arizona

As a border state, Arizona sees people taken into immigration custody both near the border and in the interior of the state. People also frequently enter the system after a local arrest: someone booked into a county or city jail can be flagged through federal databases, and ICE can place a detainer, also called an ICE hold, which is a request to keep the person for up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released so ICE can take custody.

Arizona has a long history of local law enforcement cooperation with ICE, and many agencies participate in formal 287(g) agreements that allow local officers to perform certain immigration functions. If your person was first arrested by local police, it is worth asking whether that agency works with ICE, because that often explains how a local matter became an immigration detention.

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. In Arizona, immigration courts operate at the Florence and Eloy facilities, and 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. Note that immigration bonds are generally not posted at the detention facility itself, so ask the attorney or ICE about the current way to pay one. An immigration attorney can also tell you quickly which category your person is in, which is one more reason to get legal help early.

How families can help from the outside

Find a lawyer first. The Florence and Eloy area has long been a center of immigration practice, with attorneys and legal aid organizations experienced in these specific facilities, so look there as well as in Phoenix and Tucson. Have the A-Number ready when you call.

Put money on their account and learn the phone system. Most facilities let you deposit funds so your person can buy phone time and commissary. You usually cannot call a detainee directly, though facilities typically have a way to pass an urgent message if you provide the person's full name and A-Number. Call the facility to confirm how deposits, calls, and messages work.

Visit if you can. Each facility, and sometimes each housing unit, sets its own visitation days and hours, and visitors are usually told to arrive well before the scheduled time to clear security. Confirm the rules with the specific facility before making the drive.

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. Detention is isolating and frightening, often made worse by distance and the fear of deportation, 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. 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.