If someone you love has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, in Illinois, there is one fact that shapes everything else: Illinois has no immigration detention facility. A state law ended immigration detention within Illinois, so a person detained by ICE here is usually processed for a short time, often at a processing center in the Chicago suburb of Broadview, and then transferred to a jail in another state. That means the window while your person is still in Illinois is short, so the two most urgent things you can do are find exactly where they have 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 from Illinois 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 matters even more for Illinois because people are moved out of state, sometimes within a day or two and sometimes more than once. A search that shows your person at the Broadview processing center today may show them in Indiana or Wisconsin next week, so check it again regularly. If you cannot find them, call the ICE detention reporting line at 1-888-351-4024. Illinois falls under the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Chicago field office, which oversees immigration operations for Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri, Kentucky, and Kansas.
Where ICE holds people from Illinois
Because of a 2021 state law commonly called the Illinois Way Forward Act, Illinois no longer allows immigration detention within the state. Local jails and prisons cannot contract with ICE to hold people on civil immigration matters. The Broadview facility near Chicago is a short term processing and intake site, not a detention center, so people are moved through it rather than held there for the length of a case.
From there, people are transferred out of state, most often to county jails and detention centers in the Chicago field office region. These have included facilities in Indiana, such as the Clay County jail and the Miami Correctional Facility in Bunker Hill; in Wisconsin, such as the Dodge County facility in Juneau; and in Kentucky, such as the Boone and Grayson county jails. People have also been sent to Kansas, Oklahoma, and as far as Texas. The lesson for families is to assume your person will be moved, keep checking the locator, and be prepared for the case to be handled in another state.
How someone ends up in ICE custody in Illinois
Illinois sharply limits how much local and state law enforcement can help ICE. In addition to ending in state detention, state law restricts local police and jails from holding people on ICE detainers and from sharing certain information with immigration officers. Because of that, the path of being booked into a local jail and handed directly to ICE is largely closed in Illinois.
In practice, that means most people are taken into immigration custody through ICE's own enforcement, including at check in appointments with immigration authorities, at scheduled immigration appointments, and in community operations. 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. Illinois has an immigration court in Chicago, though if your person is transferred out of state, the case may be heard near wherever they are held. 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. 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. Illinois, and Chicago in particular, has a strong network of immigration legal aid organizations, so help is available, but because your person may be moved out of state fast, reach out as soon as you can and understand that the case itself may continue elsewhere. 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.
Learn the phone and money system at the holding facility. At many facilities, a detained person is given a personal identification number, or PIN, that they need in order to call family or an attorney, and it can take a day to receive it. Calls usually carry a fee, paid by loading money onto a prepaid account, and international calls and calls to a consulate are often possible. Call the facility to confirm how its system works and how to add funds.
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 another 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 from Illinois 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 Illinois?
No. A 2021 state law, the Illinois Way Forward Act, ended immigration detention within the state. The Broadview facility near Chicago is a short term processing site, not a detention center, and people are transferred to facilities in other states.
Where are ICE detainees from Illinois taken?
Most are transferred to jails and detention centers in the Chicago field office region and beyond, including facilities in Indiana, Wisconsin, and Kentucky, and sometimes Kansas, Oklahoma, or Texas.
How do I find someone detained by ICE in Illinois?
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 out of state quickly, check again regularly. People under 18 do not appear in the locator.
Does Illinois cooperate with ICE?
No, not in the way many states do. State law ended in state immigration detention and restricts local police and jails from holding people on ICE detainers or sharing certain information with ICE. 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.