If someone you love has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, in Louisiana, it helps to understand that Louisiana holds one of the largest immigration detention populations in the country, second only to Texas. The state has roughly nine ICE detention centers, almost all of them in rural areas far from New Orleans, run by private prison companies under contract with the federal government. People detained across the country are also flown into Louisiana, so your person may be held here even if they were arrested somewhere else. The two most urgent things you can do are find exactly where they are 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 follows your person from facility to facility, 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.
Because people are moved between Louisiana's many facilities and flown in from other states, check the locator again every few days. If you cannot find your person, call the ICE detention reporting line at 1-888-351-4024. Louisiana is overseen by the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations New Orleans field office, which covers Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, and Tennessee, and which leads the nation in the number of people it detains.
Where ICE detention happens in Louisiana
Louisiana's ICE facilities are spread across the central and northern parts of the state, in small towns far from any major city. Several rank among the largest immigration detention centers in the country by population. They include the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Jena, the Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, the Jackson Parish Correctional Center in Jonesboro, the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, which holds women, the Richwood Correctional Center near Monroe, the Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center, the River Correctional Center in Ferriday, and the Allen Parish Public Safety Complex in Oberlin. These facilities are operated by private companies, mainly the GEO Group and LaSalle Corrections.
There is also a staging facility in Alexandria, operated by the GEO Group on a former Air Force base, that serves as a short term holding point, generally for around 72 hours, for people being moved between facilities or prepared for deportation flights. It has become a hub that funnels people detained around the country into Louisiana's detention centers. Because people are moved often, always rely on the live locator to confirm where your person actually is.
One practical challenge is distance. These facilities are remote, sometimes a three or four hour drive from New Orleans, where most of the state's immigration attorneys and nonprofit legal groups are based. That makes early planning for legal help and visits especially important.
How someone ends up in ICE custody in Louisiana
People come into ICE custody in Louisiana in two main ways. Some are detained within the state, including after a local arrest, since recent state laws encourage some cooperation between local law enforcement and immigration authorities, and when a person is booked into a local jail, ICE can place a detainer, a request to hold them for up to 48 hours so ICE can take custody. Others are arrested elsewhere in the country and transferred into Louisiana's large detention system, often passing through the Alexandria staging facility.
If your person was first arrested locally, 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. Louisiana has immigration courts that serve these facilities, including courts at Jena and Oakdale and in New Orleans, and most hearings are conducted by video. 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. In Louisiana, immigration bonds can be posted in person at ICE offices in New Orleans and in Oakdale. 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, and do it early. Because the facilities are remote and far from where most Louisiana immigration attorneys work, and because hearings move quickly, reaching out as soon as possible matters. Some attorneys travel to these facilities in person even though hearings are by video. Have the A-Number ready when you call.
Track any 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 each facility's system. The deposit, phone, and mail rules differ from one facility to the next, and many require the detainee's full name and A-Number on mail. Call the specific facility to confirm how its system works, and start over if your person is moved.
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 held in a remote facility, often hours from family and sometimes flown in from another state entirely, can leave a person isolated and frightened, 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 one facility to the next. 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
How many ICE detention centers are in Louisiana?
Louisiana has roughly nine ICE detention centers, most in rural central and northern parts of the state, including facilities in Jena, Winnfield, Jonesboro, Basile, Monroe, Pine Prairie, Ferriday, and Oberlin. There is also a staging facility in Alexandria used for short term holding and deportation flights. Louisiana holds one of the largest detained populations in the country.
How do I find someone detained by ICE in Louisiana?
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 between facilities and flown in from other states, check again every few days, and 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.
Why is my family member in Louisiana if they were arrested in another state?
ICE can transfer people to almost any facility regardless of where they were arrested, and Louisiana's large detention system receives people from around the country, often through the staging facility in Alexandria. This is common and does not by itself mean anything about the strength of the case.
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. In Louisiana, immigration bonds can be posted in person at ICE offices in New Orleans and Oakdale. An immigration attorney can determine what applies.
Which immigration court handles Louisiana cases?
Louisiana has immigration courts serving its detention facilities, including courts at Jena and Oakdale and in New Orleans. Most hearings are conducted by video from the facility. You can check case status using the A-Number through the court's automated system.