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

Mississippi has one of the smallest immigrant populations in the country, yet it holds one of the largest immigration detention operations, centered on the Adams County Correctional Center near Natchez, which holds more than 2,000 people. Many of those held there were detained in other states and transferred in. So if someone you love has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, your person may be held in Mississippi 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 transferred into and out of Mississippi's facilities, check the locator again every few days. If you cannot find your person, call the ICE detention reporting line at 1-888-351-4024. Mississippi is overseen by the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations New Orleans field office, which covers Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, and Tennessee.

Where ICE detention happens in Mississippi

The main immigration detention site in Mississippi is the Adams County Correctional Center, on a large site outside Natchez in the southwestern part of the state. It is privately owned and operated by the company CoreCivic under a contract with ICE and Adams County, and it is one of the largest immigration detention centers in the country, holding more than 2,000 people. Because Mississippi itself has few immigrants, a large share of the people held there were detained elsewhere and moved in, so the facility holds people from around the country.

ICE also uses the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Tutwiler, in the Mississippi Delta, which is also operated by CoreCivic and has held immigration detainees for years. Both facilities are in rural areas, far from major cities. Stays can run from weeks to several months, and people are sometimes transferred between facilities or out of state, so always rely on the live locator to confirm where your person actually is.

How someone ends up in ICE custody in Mississippi

Many people held in Mississippi were not detained in the state at all. Because Mississippi has a small immigrant population but very large detention facilities, ICE frequently transfers people here from other states to fill available beds. So a person can end up in Mississippi simply because there was space.

For people detained within Mississippi, the usual path runs through local custody. When a person is booked into a local jail, ICE can place a detainer, also called an ICE hold, which is a request to keep the person for up to 48 hours beyond their normal release so ICE can take custody. 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. For people held at Mississippi's detention centers, hearings are often conducted by video from the facility. 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

Find a lawyer first, and do it early. Because these facilities are remote and access is limited, getting an attorney involved quickly matters. At the Adams County facility, attorneys arrange legal phone calls and visits through a scheduling process during weekday business hours, so a lawyer will know how to set that up. Have the A-Number ready when you call.

Understand the visiting rules. At ICE detention centers, visiting is restricted, and generally only immediate family members and attorneys may visit, by the facility's rules and schedule. Call the specific facility to confirm who can visit, when, and what identification is required before traveling, since these centers are far from most cities.

Put money on their account and learn the phone system. The deposit and phone systems are run by the facility and its vendor. Call to confirm how to add funds and how calls work, and how mail should be addressed.

Track any transfer, and keep the paperwork organized. Keep checking the locator, and hold onto every document with the A-Number, every court notice, and every receipt, sharing 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 far from home and sometimes in a state where your person knows no one, can be deeply isolating, and steady contact from home is one of the few things that genuinely helps a person hold on. With visiting so limited, written contact carries even more weight here.

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.