If someone you love has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, in Delaware, one fact shapes what comes next: Delaware has no immigration detention facility of its own. A person detained by ICE in Delaware is taken out of state, most often to a facility in the Philadelphia area or elsewhere in Pennsylvania, and sometimes farther away. So the two most urgent things you can do are find exactly where your person has been taken, 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 follows your person wherever they are taken, 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 matters even more for Delaware because people are moved out of state, sometimes more than once. A search that shows your person in one facility today may show them somewhere else next week, so check it again regularly. If you cannot find them, call the ICE detention reporting line at 1-888-351-4024. Delaware falls under the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Philadelphia field office, which oversees immigration custody for Pennsylvania, Delaware, and West Virginia.
Where ICE holds people from Delaware
Because there is no detention center in Delaware, people are taken elsewhere, most often into the Philadelphia area and the broader Pennsylvania network. Two places come up most. One is the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia, a facility run by the federal Bureau of Prisons where people held for ICE are housed much like federal inmates. The other is the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, a large privately run immigration detention center and the biggest of its kind in the region.
People are also held at various county jails in Pennsylvania that contract with ICE, and they can be transferred out of the region entirely. These transfers can happen quickly and with little notice. The practical lesson for families is to assume your person may be moved, keep checking the locator, and be prepared for the case to be handled wherever they end up rather than in Delaware.
How someone ends up in ICE custody in Delaware
Delaware has passed laws that limit how much local and state law enforcement can help ICE. State legislation bars law enforcement agencies from entering into agreements with ICE to enforce immigration laws or to share related data, and other measures restrict civil immigration arrests in sensitive places such as courthouses. It helps to know that an ICE detainer, which is a request to hold someone for up to 48 hours so ICE can take custody, is not the same as a judicial warrant signed by a judge.
Because of these limits, the path of being booked into a local jail and handed directly to ICE is narrower in Delaware than in states that fully cooperate. In practice, most people are taken into immigration custody through ICE's own enforcement in the community. If your person was arrested, ask the attorney exactly how they came into ICE custody, because the circumstances can matter to the case.
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. Delaware does not have its own immigration court, so cases are generally heard in Philadelphia or wherever your person is detained. 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, and at facilities like the one in Philadelphia, lists of pro bono legal organizations are posted in the housing units. 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. One more thing worth knowing: a detained person should not sign documents giving up their rights, such as a voluntary departure form, without talking to a lawyer first.
How families can help from the outside
Move quickly and find a lawyer first. Because your person may be moved out of state fast, contact a Delaware or Philadelphia area immigration attorney or legal aid organization as soon as you can, and understand that the case itself may be handled in Pennsylvania. 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, mail, and visitation all depend on where they are at that moment.
Put money on their account and learn the phone and mail systems. Whichever facility is holding your person runs its own deposit, phone, and mail systems, so call that facility to confirm how it works. At the Philadelphia facility, for example, letters must include the last four digits of the person's A-Number along with your name and address.
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. Being moved out of state can leave a person isolated and far 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 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 Delaware?
No. Delaware has no immigration detention facility of its own. People detained by ICE in Delaware are taken out of state, most often to the Philadelphia area or elsewhere in Pennsylvania.
Where are ICE detainees from Delaware taken?
Common destinations are the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia, run by the federal Bureau of Prisons, and the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, a large private immigration detention center. People may also be held in Pennsylvania county jails or transferred farther away.
How do I find someone detained by ICE in Delaware?
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 and sometimes more than once, check again regularly. People under 18 do not appear in the locator.
Does Delaware cooperate with ICE?
Delaware has passed laws limiting cooperation. State law bars law enforcement agencies from entering into agreements with ICE to enforce immigration laws or share related data, and restricts civil immigration arrests in places like courthouses. ICE still conducts its own enforcement in the state.
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.
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