If someone you love has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, in Pennsylvania, it helps to know how detention is set up here. Pennsylvania holds immigration detainees in a patchwork of places: one large private detention center, several county jails that contract with ICE, and a couple of federal prisons. The largest is the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, in rural Clearfield County, which is the biggest immigration detention center in the Northeast. Where your person is held depends on where they were detained, and people are sometimes moved. 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 can be moved between facilities, check the locator again every few days. Pennsylvania falls under the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Philadelphia field office, and case information for people held at Moshannon can be requested at Philadelphia.Outreach@ice.dhs.gov. If you cannot find your person, call the ICE detention reporting line at 1-888-351-4024.
Where ICE detention happens in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania uses several different kinds of facilities to hold immigration detainees, which is why finding the exact location matters.
The largest is the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County, run by a private company called GEO Group. With well over 1,800 beds, it is the largest immigration detention center in the Northeast. It sits in a rural area, more than 100 miles from the nearest nonprofit immigration attorneys, which can make legal help and visits harder to arrange.
In addition, four county jails hold people for ICE under detention contracts: the jails in Pike, Clinton, Cambria, and Franklin counties. And ICE has more recently used two federal Bureau of Prisons facilities in the state to hold immigration detainees: the federal detention center in Philadelphia and the federal prison at Lewisburg. As of early 2026, more than 2,000 people were held in immigration detention across Pennsylvania. Because people are moved between these facilities, always rely on the live locator to confirm where your person actually is.
How someone ends up in ICE custody in Pennsylvania
People come into ICE custody in a few ways. The county jails that hold immigrants for ICE in Pennsylvania do so under detention contracts, which let them operate as immigration detention centers. This is different from a detainer, the request ICE sends to a jail to hold someone for up to 48 hours after a criminal release, and different again from a 287(g) agreement, which gives local officers certain immigration duties.
A person can come into custody through any of these paths, or through ICE's own enforcement in the community. If your person was first arrested or stopped 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. Pennsylvania has an immigration court in Philadelphia, and hearings for detained people, including those held at Moshannon and the county jails, 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 can then be paid for release while the case continues; others fall under mandatory detention and are not eligible, and the rules on who qualifies have been changing, so a lawyer's read on your person's situation matters. 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 early. Because facilities like Moshannon are far from legal services, getting an attorney involved quickly matters even more here than in some states. Pennsylvania has immigration attorneys and nonprofit legal organizations. Have the A-Number ready when you call.
Learn the facility's system, because it differs from one place to the next. At Moshannon, for example, detainees use tablets, and you can send a non confidential message through the gettingout.com system, while phone calls are paid for through the person's account. If your person needs to post a bond, be aware that for larger bonds ICE requires payment by cashier's or certified check made out to the Department of Homeland Security. Once you have confirmed the current facility on the locator, call it to learn the exact rules for money, phone, mail, and visits.
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.
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 home and from any familiar face, can be deeply isolating, 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 Pennsylvania?
In several kinds of facilities. The largest is the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County, a private facility that is the biggest immigration detention center in the Northeast. ICE also uses county jails in Pike, Clinton, Cambria, and Franklin counties, and two federal Bureau of Prisons facilities, the federal detention center in Philadelphia and the federal prison at Lewisburg.
How do I find someone detained by ICE in Pennsylvania?
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 can be moved, check again over several 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.
How do I send money or a message to someone at Moshannon?
The Moshannon facility uses tablets, and you can send a non confidential message through the gettingout.com system. Phone calls are paid for through the detainee's account. For exact steps on adding money and the visiting schedule, call the facility directly, since procedures can change.
How does paying an immigration bond work in Pennsylvania?
If a bond is set and the person is eligible, it can be paid to secure release while the case continues. For larger bonds, ICE requires payment by a single cashier's or certified check made payable to the Department of Homeland Security. A licensed immigration bond agent can also help. An attorney can advise on eligibility, since some people are subject to mandatory detention.
Can my family member be moved to another facility?
Yes. People are moved between Pennsylvania's facilities, and sometimes out of state, and stays at a given facility can be short. Keep checking the locator so you always know where your person is.
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