If someone you love has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, in New Jersey, it helps to know how detention is set up here. People are held at one of two privately run detention centers: Delaney Hall in Newark, a large facility that reopened in 2025, and the smaller Elizabeth Detention Center. New Jersey's county jails generally do not hold immigration detainees, because of a state law, so detention in the state is concentrated at these two centers. 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 follows your person from place to place, 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 can be moved, check the locator again every few days. If you cannot find your person, call the ICE detention reporting line at 1-888-351-4024. New Jersey falls under the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Newark field office, located at 970 Broad Street in Newark, which can be reached at 973-645-3666.
Where ICE detention happens in New Jersey
New Jersey has two main immigration detention centers, both privately operated under contracts with ICE.
Delaney Hall, in Newark, is the larger of the two. It is operated by the company GEO Group and reopened in 2025 with roughly a thousand beds, making it one of the largest immigration detention centers in the region. It holds both men and women. Its location near Newark airport is part of why ICE uses it, which also means people connected to the wider Northeast may be held there.
The Elizabeth Detention Center, in Union County, is the older and smaller of the two, operated by the company CoreCivic, with capacity for a few hundred people. Because New Jersey county jails generally do not hold immigration detainees, these two centers are where detention is concentrated. People can be moved between facilities or out of state, so always rely on the live locator to confirm where your person actually is.
Why detention is concentrated at these two centers
It helps to understand a piece of New Jersey law. In 2021, the state passed a law barring prisons, both public and private, from entering into contracts with ICE to hold immigration detainees, or from expanding or renewing old ones. After that, the county jails that had previously held ICE detainees, in counties such as Bergen, Essex, and Hudson, stopped doing so.
A federal court later found that the law could not be enforced against private companies, and that ruling has been appealed and is still being worked out in the courts. That is why the two privately run centers, Delaney Hall and Elizabeth, continue to operate while county jails do not hold detainees. For families, the practical takeaway is simple: in New Jersey, expect your person to be at one of these two centers rather than at a local county jail.
How someone ends up in ICE custody in New Jersey
Because local jails in New Jersey generally do not hold people for ICE, most people are taken into custody through ICE's own enforcement, including arrests in the community and at workplaces. A person can still come into ICE custody after contact with law enforcement elsewhere, through a detainer, which is a request to hold someone for up to 48 hours so ICE can take custody.
If your person was first arrested or stopped by local authorities, 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. New Jersey has an immigration court in the Newark area, and hearings for detained people 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. New Jersey and the nearby New York City area have many experienced immigration attorneys and nonprofit legal organizations, and getting one involved early matters. Have the A-Number ready when you call.
Learn the facility's system. The rules for adding money, phone calls, and visits are set by the specific center, Delaney Hall or Elizabeth, and its vendor. Call the facility to confirm current rules for deposits, phone, mail, and visitation, including what identification is required and what the visiting schedule is.
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, and a move can take them out of state.
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, even when a facility is close to home, 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
Where does ICE detain people in New Jersey?
At two privately run detention centers. Delaney Hall in Newark, operated by GEO Group, is the larger, with roughly a thousand beds, and reopened in 2025. The Elizabeth Detention Center in Union County, operated by CoreCivic, is older and smaller. New Jersey county jails generally do not hold immigration detainees.
Why don't New Jersey county jails hold ICE detainees?
A 2021 state law barred prisons, public and private, from contracting with ICE to hold detainees. County jails that once held ICE detainees, in counties like Bergen, Essex, and Hudson, stopped after that. A court found the law cannot be enforced against private companies, and that ruling is on appeal, which is why the two private centers still operate.
How do I find someone detained by ICE in New Jersey?
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 Newark field office at 973-645-3666 or the ICE detention reporting line at 1-888-351-4024. People under 18 do not appear in the locator.
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.
Can someone be held in New Jersey if they were detained in another state?
It is possible. Delaney Hall is large and sits near Newark airport, so it can hold people connected to the wider Northeast region, not only those detained in New Jersey. Use the locator to confirm where your person is being held.
Discovery Offer - Silos 1-2
Search arrest records and find out where they are
If you're trying to locate someone who was arrested or find out where they are being held, TruthFinder searches arrest records, court records, and custody status across all 50 states.