Kansas has become a regional immigration detention site. After a long local fight, a large private facility in Leavenworth reopened in 2026 as an ICE detention center, now called the Midwest Regional Reception Center, and county jails around the state also hold people for ICE. So if someone you love has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, in or near Kansas, there is a real chance they are being held in the state, and people detained elsewhere in the Midwest are sometimes brought to Leavenworth as well. The two most urgent things you can do are 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 ICE detention reporting line at 1-888-351-4024. Kansas falls under the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Chicago field office, which oversees immigration operations for a group of states including Kansas. For matters involving the Leavenworth facility, ICE directs case and package questions to its Chicago detained unit.
Where ICE detention happens in Kansas
The main immigration detention site in Kansas is the Midwest Regional Reception Center in Leavenworth, at 100 Highway Terrace. It is operated by the private prison company CoreCivic and was formerly known as the Leavenworth Detention Center, which once held federal pretrial defendants before closing in 2021. It reopened in 2026 to hold immigration detainees, with capacity for roughly a thousand people, and as its name suggests it serves as a regional reception center, so people from around the Midwest may be held there.
In addition to Leavenworth, some county jails in Kansas hold people for ICE under agreements known as intergovernmental service agreements. Because the mix of facilities in use can change and people are moved, always rely on the live locator to confirm where your person actually is.
How someone ends up in ICE custody in Kansas
Cooperation between Kansas law enforcement and ICE has been expanding. A state law enacted in 2026 confirms that county sheriffs may hold a person on an ICE detainer, which is a request to keep someone for up to 48 hours beyond their normal release so ICE can take custody, and it makes it easier for sheriffs to enter 287(g) agreements, which let local officers carry out certain immigration functions. About twenty agencies in the state had signed such agreements as of early 2026.
What this means in practice is that a local arrest in Kansas can lead to immigration custody. When a person is booked into a county jail, ICE can place a detainer to keep them for transfer. If your person was first arrested locally, this is usually 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. You can check case status through the court's automated system using the A-Number, and an attorney can tell you which immigration court is hearing the case, since some hearings are conducted by video from the facility.
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
Find a lawyer first. The Kansas City area has immigration attorneys and legal aid organizations, including some now focused on the Leavenworth facility, so reach out early. Have the A-Number ready when you call. Lawyers can arrange confidential legal calls and visits with clients at the Leavenworth facility through its attorney visit process.
Put money on their account the right way. At the Midwest Regional Reception Center, you cannot hand money to a detainee directly. You can add funds by calling the facility or by sending a United States Postal Service money order that lists the detainee's name, to the facility's address in Leavenworth. Do not send cash in the mail.
Send mail carefully. Letters must include the detainee's full name in the address. The facility restricts many items, including packages, food, stamps, personal or cashier's checks, and magazines not sent directly from a publisher, so check the current rules before sending anything.
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 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.
Frequently asked questions
Where does ICE detain people in Kansas?
The main site is the Midwest Regional Reception Center in Leavenworth, a CoreCivic facility that reopened in 2026 to hold immigration detainees and has capacity for roughly a thousand people. Some county jails in Kansas also hold people for ICE under contract. Because it is a regional reception center, people from elsewhere in the Midwest may be held there too.
How do I find someone detained by ICE in Kansas?
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. If you cannot find them, call the ICE detention reporting line at 1-888-351-4024. People under 18 do not appear in the locator.
Does Kansas cooperate with ICE?
Increasingly, yes. A 2026 state law confirms that sheriffs may hold people on ICE detainers and makes it easier for them to enter 287(g) agreements, and about twenty Kansas agencies had signed such agreements as of early 2026. A local arrest can lead to immigration custody.
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.
How do I send money or mail to someone at the Leavenworth facility?
You can add money by calling the Midwest Regional Reception Center or by mailing a United States Postal Service money order with the detainee's name to the facility in Leavenworth; do not send cash. Letters must include the detainee's full name, and the facility restricts items like packages, food, stamps, and checks, so confirm the current rules before sending anything.
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