IAH Polk Adult Detention Facility

How to Find Someone in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Detainee Locator

When someone that is not a US Citizen gets arrested in the United States, and they are here illegally, depending on what state or city they are arrested in, the person may be turned over to ICE. 

Many states such as New York and California, as well as hundreds of US cities, have declared themselves 'sanctuary cities' and do not turn over foreigners here illegally, even if they are committing crimes in their jurisdiction.

However, when an alien here illegally is turned over to ICE, and sent to one of the over 100 Immigration Detention Centers in the United States, the only way to try and locate where they are being detained is using the Online Detainee Locator System.

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There are two ways to search for an ICE Detainee:

You can look them up using their assigned A-Number.

• An A-Number is a 9-digit number that either looks like this: A-123456789, or like this 123-456-789. This is required if you do not know their name.
  It is also called a Registration Number when on a visa, or a USCIS# when on a Green Card.
  If for whatever reason the A-Number you have does not have 9-digits, you need to add 0s (zeroes) to the front of the number until the number has 9-digits.
  That number might then look like this:  001234567.

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You can also try and look them up by using their name.

• In order for this to be effective, you need to have the exact name that is either on their paperwork, or the the name with the exact spelling that they gave ICE. This is required.
• You also need to know the country of their birth, or the country of their birth that they gave ICE. This is required.
• Knowing their Date of Birth is helpful but not required to find them in the system.

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Important things to know about using the ICE Detainee Locator

• You do not need to set up an account to use the Detainee Locator System.
• A-Number stands for 'Alien Registration Number'.
• The System does not have information on all detainees in custody.
• Juvenile names are NOT in the System.
• The Detainee Locator System is updated every 8 hours, sometimes sooner.
• If the detainee is being moved to a new facility, the new location will not be shown until they have arrived and are processed. 
• No warnings or prior notice are given in advance of a detainee being moved.
• While being transferred to a different facility they may still be shown online as being in the original facility.
• If you are planning a visit, always call before you come to confirm the detainee is still at the facility and has not been moved.
• To visit a detainee you must have some type of government issued photo ID, or other identification when photo identification is unavailable for religious reasons.
• If you are unable to find the detainee using the System, contact the ICE Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in the area where you believe the person's immigration case was initiated or the Detainee Reporting and Information Line (DRIL) at 888-351-4024.

Pamphlets in various languages with Instructions on how to use the Online Detainee Locator System:

• Online Detainee Locator System Brochure (PDF | 732 KB)
• Folleto del Sistema Localizador de Detenidos en Línea (PDF | 720 KB)
• Brochure du Système de recherche en ligne de détenus(es) (PDF | 739 KB)
• Folheto Informativo do Sistema Online Para Localização de Detentos (PDF | 733 KB)
• Брошюра Онлайновая Система Определения Местонахождения Задержанного (PDF | 893 KB)
• Buug yaraha Nidaamka Lagu Ogaado Halka Ay Ku Xiran Yihiin Dadka Xiran ee barta internetka (PDF | 741 KB)
• Tài Liệu về Hệ Thống Tìm Người Bị Giam Trực Tuyến (PDF | 1.3 MB)
• 被拘留者在线查询系统手册 (PDF | 1.4 MB)
• كتيب نظام تحديد مواقع المحتجزين على شبكة الانترنت (PDF | 1.3 MB)

The IAH Polk Adult Detention Facility is an ICE detention center located in Livingston, Texas The facility's address is 1010 North FM 3503, Livingston, TX 77351 If you need information about a detainee that is housed at this facility, you may call (936) 967-1700 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Recent news specifically about the IAH Polk Adult Detention Facility is limited. However, it is important to note that conditions and health issues in detention facilities can vary and may be subject to ongoing investigations or changes.

The IAH Polk Adult Detention Facility is operated by Management and Training Corporation (MTC) under a contract with ICE The facility has a capacity of 1,000 detainees The facility has been the subject of criticism in the past, with reports of poor living conditions, inadequate medical care, and allegations of abuse It is important to stay informed about the current state of the facility, detainee conditions, and health issues by consulting official sources such as ICE or relevant government agencies.

An In-Depth Look at the IAH Polk Adult Detention Facility

The IAH Polk Adult Detention Facility (ISADF) in Livingston, Texas is an important facility in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) network of detention centers. Operated by the private company Management & Training Corporation (MTC) under contract with ICE, the ISADF houses adult detainees going through immigration removal proceedings. 

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll provide key details about the IAH Polk facility, visitation policies, how to contact detainees, and more. Whether you have a loved one detained at the ISADF or are simply seeking to understand ICE detention operations, this article will give you valuable insights into this busy Texas detention center.

## About ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations

ICE is responsible for enforcing U.S. immigration laws. The agency's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) division handles the identification, apprehension, and removal of immigrants who lack legal status to remain in the United States. 

To carry out removal operations, ICE relies on a network of detention facilities like the IAH Polk Adult Detention Facility to house detainees as they await immigration court hearings or the execution of removal orders.

## Introducing the IAH Polk Adult Detention Facility 

The IAH Polk Adult Detention Facility (ISADF) first opened its doors in 2007 in Livingston, Texas. While the facility is owned by Polk County, Texas, its operations and management have been contracted out to the private corrections company Management & Training Corporation (MTC) since its inception.

The ISADF operates under ICE's National Detention Standards (NDS) and houses adult male and female ICE detainees in Border Patrol Sectors like Del Rio, Laredo, and Rio Grande Valley.

With an operating capacity of over 1,000 beds, the ISADF serves as a significant detention facility for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in southeastern Texas. The center features 24/7 security monitoring, perimeter fencing, and on-site medical facilities.

## Housing ICE Detainees

ERO's local field office in Houston, Texas first began housing detainees at the ISADF back in 2007. As an ICE contractor, MTC is responsible for the daily operations of the detention center and ensuring compliance with ICE detention standards.

Detainees at the ISADF are housed according to ICE's National Detention Standards. This sets baseline requirements for things like:

- Access to legal services
- Medical and mental healthcare 
- Outdoor recreation
- Visitation
- Nutritious meals
- Educational services
- Religious services

By meeting these rigorous performance standards, ICE ensures appropriate and humane conditions for immigrants in custody at facilities like the ISADF.

## Contacting Someone Detained at the ISADF

If you need to get information about an individual detained at the IAH Polk Adult Detention Facility, you can call 936-967-1700 between 8am and 4pm daily. Make sure to have the detainee's full name, any aliases, date of birth, and country of birth ready when calling. 

Unfortunately, detainees cannot receive incoming telephone calls. However, the facility will deliver urgent messages from family members in emergency situations. To leave an urgent message, call 936-967-8000 and leave the detainee's name, alien registration number, and callback details. The message will then be passed along.

## Immigration Court and Legal Processes

Immigration removal proceedings involve complex legal processes, often requiring detainees to navigate the immigration court system. Here are some key resources if you or a loved one need information about an immigration case:

- For information about a case before the immigration court, call the immigration court information line at 1-800-898-7180.

- Applications requested by the immigration judge must be filed directly with the court.

- To check the status of an appeal before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), call 703-605-1007.

- Find a list of pro bono immigration legal services [here](https://www.immigrationadvocates.org/nonprofit/legaldirectory).

## Posting a Delivery Bond 

Posting a delivery bond allows for the release of an individual detained by ICE while their immigration case proceeds. To post bond, the person (known as the obligor) must show valid ID and proof of citizenship/legal status. The obligor takes financial responsibility to ensure the detainee attends all immigration hearings.

Delivery bonds can be posed at ICE bond acceptance offices across the country from 9am-3pm, Monday through Friday (closed on holidays). Find the nearest one [here](https://www.ice.gov/contact/ero). For bond payments over $10,000, only cashier's or certified checks are accepted.

## Visitation at the IAH Polk Facility 

The ISADF offers visitation sessions so friends, family, and legal representatives can meet with detainees. Here are some key policies to keep in mind:

- **Friends/Family Visits:** Occur Wednesday-Sunday from 8am-5pm. Limited to two adults and two children at once. Visitors must arrive 15 minutes early to clear security.

- **Attorney Visits:** Available 7 days a week from 8am-5pm, including holidays. Private visitation rooms provided. 

- **Video Visits:** Available by prior appointment through the facility's virtual visitation program. Email ISADF to schedule a session.

- **Consular Visits:** Permitted at any time with prior notice and credentials.

- **Clergy Visits:** Allowed upon prior arrangement with the Chaplain's office.

The facility reserves the right to restrict or deny visits for security reasons. All individuals and belongings are searched upon facility entry. Certain items like cell phones and weapons are prohibited.

## Mail and Packages

The ISADF allows detainees to send and receive mail, helping them maintain ties with family and friends. Here are some key mail policies:

- Incoming letters are inspected, not read, before delivery to detainees.

- Outgoing letters can be sealed by detainees and are sent to the post office within 24 hours.

- Stamps can be purchased by detainees and indigent detainees receive postage allowance.

- Only legal mail is forwarded to detainees who are released or transferred. 

- Packages are allowed only with prior facility approval. No electronics permitted.

## Conclusion

Under contract with ICE, the privately operated IAH Polk Adult Detention Facility in Livingston, Texas houses immigration detainees and provides programming to meet detention standards. With this guide, you now have key insights into operations at the ISADF, including visitation, contacting detainees, legal resources, and more. Reach out to the facility with any other questions you may have.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: What are the phone numbers for the IAH Polk facility?**

A: The general phone number is 936-967-1700. For urgent detainee messages, call 936-967-8000.

**Q: How do I look up my immigration court case information?** 

A: Call the immigration court information line at 1-800-898-7180 to get details on your case status.

**Q: Can I visit a detainee any day of the week?**

A: Friend and family visits are allowed Wednesday through Sunday from 8am to 5pm. Attorney visits are permitted 7 days a week. 

**Q: What items am I prohibited from bringing to an ISADF visit?**

A: Firearms, weapons, cell phones, and other electronics are prohibited. All belongings are searched upon entry.

**Q: What is the closest ICE bond acceptance office to the ISADF?**

A: The ICE Houston Field Office likely handles bonds for ISADF detainees. Its address is 126 Northpoint Dr, Houston, TX 77060.

What is an ICE Detention Center?

Men, women, and children that are in the United States illegally and are apprehended by the US Border Patrol or ICE will most likely be placed in removal proceedings and may be detained in one of the more than 200 jails and detention centers that make up ICE’s detention system.

Many of the illegal immigrants that are detained are held in county and local jails that contract with ICE to detain immigrants. The rest are held in dedicated immigration detention facilities run by ICE or contracted to private prison corporations, including family detention centers that hold mothers and children.

What Determines if an Illegal Immigrant gets Detained?

ICE will typically detain an immigrant because DHS (Homeland Security) believes that an illegal immigrant is either a “flight risk” and may move to another location within the U.S. or that they pose a public safety threat. Detaining the person allows the government to guarantee that the person will show up for their hearing before an Immigration Court.

Some of the reasons that causes an illegal immigrant to get arrested and held in detention prior to their day in court is as follows:

The illegal immigrant has:

• committed a crime, or multiple crimes
• arrived at the border without a visa prior to formally applying for asylum or refugee status
• an outstanding removal (deportation) order on record, either pending or past due, or
• missed prior immigration hearing dates.

 

How do you find someone that is in an ICE Detention Center?

The first step to finding out if an illegal immigrant is in ICE or DHS custody is by using the ICE Detainee Locator.

It’s easier to find the person if you have an Alien Number (A#), if one exists. A green card or work permit will show this number. If you don’t have an A# the person is much more difficult to locate.

The information you will need is as follows:

• the person’s full name as it appears in the ICE System. The exact spelling and the order of how the name is listed is required.
• the person’s date of birth
• the person’s country of birth

If you are having difficulty, try different spellings and the order of how the name is listed.

If the illegal immigrant was only recently detained, the ICE Detainee Locator may not be updated with the latest information. Keep in mind that ICE does not give information (online or over the phone) for people under 18 years of age. In such cases, you can only get information on them from the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations field office nearest you.

If the person you are looking for is not in an ICE Detention Center, they may have been taken to a local jail that contracts with ICE, so contact their local City and County Jail, all which can be found here.

Another option, short of the expense of hiring an Immigration Lawyer, is to go to this website and use their online form to get their help.

Once an illegal immigrant is located and you find out the facility where they are being held you need to find out the Deportation Officer that has been assigned to their case. The Officer can tell you how to call or visit the detainee, or pay for the detainee to be able to call you, or how you can send any needed items such as clothing, prescriptions, etc.

The last option, and the most expensive, is to hire an experienced immigration attorney to assist you in tracking down the Deportation Officer. If the person being detained requires specific medical care, an attorney can ensure that they receive that care.

If the detained illegal immigrant has been deported from America previously or has an outstanding removal order - in which case they have no right to see an immigration judge - they can be removed within a few days, or even hours, of the initial arrest.

Even if the government does not immediately remove the person, it is possible that they can be moved around to different Detention Centers. There is never a warning that a person is being moved around and during the transfer there is a complete blackout of any information.

How long are people held in ICE Immigration Detention Centers?

The time that an illegal immigrant is held in an ICE Detention Center can vary. It all depends on several factors such as the individual’s personal situation, criminal record, the severity of the crime they are being charged with, previous deportations and the current caseload that the Detention Center is dealing with.

This image portrays the most recent data available on the time a detained illegal immigrant remains in custody before their release and/or deportation.

Can you visit someone in ICE Detention Centers?

The short answer is yes. The person visiting an illegal immigrant in an ICE Detention Center must be lawfully present in the United States. In other words the visitor must have some form of currently valid immigration status at the time of the visit. A detention center or jail will not allow the visit unless visitor can show valid I.D. and offer proof that they are lawfully in the United States.

If you want to become a volunteer that visits illegal immigrants in order to offer emotional support, it may be possible. You can join one of these visitation networks by going here and contacting the network in your area.

What crimes can cause an illegal immigrant to be deported?

(The following information comes from Nolo.com, a trusted legal resource)

• Conviction of a crime involving moral turpitude (see list). This includes any attempt or conspiracy to commit such a crime. It does not include crimes that were committed that the illegal immigrant committed when they were under the age of 18 years, however the person must have been released from jail more than five years before applying for a visa or other immigration benefit. It also does not include crimes for which the maximum penalty did not exceed one year in prison and the person was not, in fact, sentenced to more than six months in prison.
• Conviction or admission of a controlled substance violation, whether under U.S. or foreign law. This includes any conspiracy to commit such a crime.
• Convictions for two or more crimes (other than purely political ones) for which the prison sentences totaled at least five years. This multiple-offense ground of inadmissibility applies whether or not the convictions came from a single trial and whether or not the offenses arose from a single scheme of misconduct or involved moral turpitude.
• Conviction of or participation in (according to the reasonable belief of the U.S. government) controlled substance trafficking. This includes anyone who knowingly aided, abetted, assisted, conspired, or colluded in illicit drug trafficking. It also includes the spouse, son, or daughter of the inadmissible applicant if that person has, within the last five years, received any financial or other benefit from the illicit activities, and knew or reasonably should have known where the money or benefit came from.
• Having the purpose of engaging in prostitution or commercialized vice upon coming to the United States, or a history, within the previous ten years, of having engaged in prostitution.
• Procurement or attempted procurement or importation of prostitutes, directly or indirectly, or receipt of proceeds of prostitution, any of which occurred within the previous ten years.
• Assertion of immunity from prosecution after committing a serious criminal offense in the U.S., if the person was thus able to depart the U.S. and has not since submitted fully to the jurisdiction of the relevant U.S. Court.
• Commission of particularly severe violations of religious freedom while serving as a foreign government official.
• Commission of or conspiracy to commit human trafficking offenses, within or outside the U.S., or being a knowing aider, abettor, assister, conspirator, or colluder with such a trafficker according to the knowledge or reasonable belief of the U.S. government. Also inadmissible are the spouse, son, or daughter the applicant if they, within the previous five years (but when older than children), received financial or other benefits from the illicit activity and knew or reasonably should have known that the money or other benefit came from the illicit activity.
• Conviction of an aggravated felony, if the person was removed from the U.S. and seeks to return (this ground of inadmissibility lasts for 20 years)
• Seeking to enter the U.S. to engage in money laundering, or a history of having laundered money, or having been (according to the knowledge of the U.S. government) a knowing aider, abettor, assister, conspirator, or colluder with money launderers.

These are the straightforward crimes that are mentioned in the immigration law. The statute also lists a number of security violations, such as involvement in espionage, sabotage, terrorism, Nazi persecution, totalitarian parties, and so forth.

Once an illegal immigrant is deported, how long before they can come back to the United States?

If an illegal immigrant has a deportation or removal order in their immigration file, it's possible that they won’t be allowed to enter the U.S. for five, ten, or even 20 years.

The applicable law comes from Section 212 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (I.N.A.).

Five-Year Ban: If they were summarily removed or deported upon arrival at a U.S. port of entry because they were found inadmissible, or if they came to the U.S. but were immediately put into removal proceedings and then removed or deported, they may be ineligible to return to the U.S. for five years. The five-year ban also applies if they failed to show up for their removal hearing in the United States.

Ten-Year Ban: If a ‘removal order’ was issued at the conclusion of their removal hearing in Immigration Court, they may not be able to return for ten years after their removal or departure.

Twenty-Year Ban: If they were convicted of an aggravated felony or have received more than one order of removal, they are barred from returning to the U.S. for 20 years. And if they entered without permission after having been removed, or illegally reentered the U.S. after having previously been in the U.S. unlawfully for more than one year, they may be barred from entering the United States for 20 years or permanently.