T. Don Hutto Detention is for Private Facility offenders have not been sentenced yet and are detained here until their case is heard.
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If you are unsure of your inmate's location, you can search and locate your inmate by typing in their last name, first name or first initial, and/or the offender ID number to get their accurate information immediately Registered Offenders
Located in Taylor, TX, T. Don Hutto Detention operates as a private contractor with various government agency agreements providing state-minimum custody requirements. Programs are offered to all custody levels, including work release residents focused on reentry success. With a strong emphasis on rehabilitation, T. Don Hutto Detention provides comprehensive educational and vocational opportunities. Onsite amenities include dietary, health, fitness, educational, religious, and recreational services. Regular inspections ensure compliance with government standards, ensuring the facility's continued operation.
The T. Don Hutto Detention Center in Taylor, Texas, is a federal immigration detention facility that houses ICE detainees under contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Located in eastern Williamson County northeast of Austin, the facility is operated by CoreCivic and serves as one of the most recognizable and controversial immigration detention centers in the United States. Originally opened as a medium-security prison in the late 1990s, the complex was converted into an ICE detention facility in 2006 during a major expansion of federal immigration detention operations following post-9/11 enforcement initiatives. Today, the detention center primarily houses adult female immigration detainees awaiting asylum proceedings, deportation hearings, or transfer within the federal immigration system.
The detention center maintains a rated capacity of 458 detainees, although outside detention monitoring organizations have previously reported operational capacities slightly exceeding 460 beds depending on housing configuration and classification status. The secure complex includes intake and processing units, housing dormitories, medical care areas, legal visitation rooms, transportation infrastructure, recreation spaces, and administrative offices specifically designed for federal immigration detention operations. Unlike many county jail ICE agreements throughout the Midwest, the Hutto facility operates as a dedicated immigration detention center under direct federal detention contracts rather than a supplemental county jail partnership.
ICE Detainee Information
This facility holds immigration detainees under an active contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in addition to its regular population. ICE detainees are civil immigration detainees, not criminal defendants, and are held while their immigration cases are processed. The rules, rights, and services that apply to ICE detainees differ from those that apply to the general jail population.
To locate an ICE detainee at this facility, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator at locator.ice.gov. You will need the detainee's A-Number, a nine-digit Alien Registration Number that appears on any immigration document they have received. If the A-Number has fewer than nine digits, add zeros at the beginning. If you do not have the A-Number, you can search using the detainee's full legal name, country of birth, and date of birth. Names must be an exact match; try variations if the first search returns no results.
Immigration bond works differently from criminal bail. Not all detainees are eligible for bond; those with certain criminal convictions or prior deportation orders may be subject to mandatory detention. For those who are eligible, bond is set by an immigration judge and typically ranges from $1,500 to over $10,000. Bond must be paid in full before release. An immigration attorney can request a bond hearing and argue for a lower amount based on the detainee's circumstances.
Unlike criminal defendants, ICE detainees do not have the right to a government-appointed attorney. They must hire a private immigration attorney or find free legal help through a nonprofit organization. RAICES provides legal services and bond assistance at raicestexas.org. The National Immigrant Justice Center offers free legal representation at immigrantjustice.org. Many immigration courts also maintain a list of free and low-cost legal service providers available to detainees upon request.
ICE transfers detainees between facilities frequently and with little advance notice, sometimes to locations far from family and legal counsel. If you cannot locate your family member through this page, search the ICE Online Detainee Locator again at locator.ice.gov with their A-Number. If they have an attorney, notify the attorney immediately as transfers affect court appearances and case timelines.
The facility operates within Williamson County, where countywide law enforcement responsibilities fall under the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, currently led by Sheriff Matthew Lindemann. Although the detention center itself is privately managed by CoreCivic under federal authority, local government and county officials have remained deeply connected to debates surrounding the facility for years because of prior intergovernmental agreements tied to ICE operations. Williamson County commissioners previously voted to terminate their county-level participation agreement involving the facility, although ICE later continued operations through direct contracting arrangements with CoreCivic.
T. Don Hutto has become nationally known because of years of controversy surrounding detainee treatment, family detention practices, healthcare concerns, allegations of sexual misconduct by staff members, and prolonged immigration detention. During its earlier years, the facility housed immigrant families and children, sparking widespread criticism from advocacy organizations, journalists, civil rights groups, and federal courts. Multiple lawsuits challenged conditions inside the facility, leading to settlements and eventually the closure of the family detention component in 2009. Over time, the detention center transitioned into a women-only immigration detention facility, but continued facing allegations involving medical neglect, retaliation complaints, and detainee abuse claims. Federal investigations and public demonstrations surrounding the facility have continued for more than a decade.
Despite its long history of controversy, the T. Don Hutto Detention Center remains one of ICE’s most prominent detention facilities in Texas and continues playing a major role within the federal immigration detention network. Detainees are routinely transferred into the facility from border enforcement operations, county jails, and immigration processing centers across the southern United States. Its proximity to Austin, established detention infrastructure, and longstanding federal contracts ensure that the facility remains operationally important within DHS enforcement efforts. As immigration policy debates continue nationwide, T. Don Hutto remains one of the most scrutinized and publicly recognized immigration detention centers operating in the country.
