Someone was taken
They took someone. What now.
Work down this list in order. The first three steps matter most in the first 48 hours, because that is when a person can be moved out of state or asked to sign away their case.
Before anything else: tell them not to sign
If you get any contact with them, the single most important sentence is: do not sign anything. Officers may present papers described as a way to get out faster. Those papers can waive the right to see a judge and agree to deportation. A signature can end a case that a lawyer could have won.
- 01
Write down everything you know
Full legal name exactly as it appears on their documents, date of birth, country of birth, and the A-number if you have it — a nine-digit number starting with A, on any immigration paperwork they have ever received. Where they were taken from, at what time, and by whom. Any badge numbers, vehicle plates or agency names witnesses saw.
- 02
Find them in the detainee locator
ICE publishes a public search. Use the A-number if you have one; otherwise search by full name, country of birth and date of birth. It can take 24 to 48 hours for someone to appear. Keep checking. If they do not appear at all, they may be held by a local jail under an ICE hold rather than by ICE directly — call the county jail.
locator.ice.gov → - 03
Get a lawyer before the first hearing
Immigration court is civil, so no lawyer is appointed. Represented people win their cases at far higher rates. Use the national legal services directory to find free and low-cost immigration attorneys near the facility — not near you, near where the person is being held.
immigrationadvocates.org → - 04
Ask about bond
Many people are eligible for release on bond while their case proceeds. A lawyer can request a bond hearing. Do not pay anyone who promises a specific outcome or asks for cash to make a case disappear — notarios and consultants are not lawyers and cannot represent anyone in court.
- 05
Send money for phone calls
Calls from detention are expensive and are usually the only way the person can reach a lawyer. Each facility uses its own commissary and phone vendor; the facility's page on the ICE site lists which one and how to deposit.
- 06
Protect the household
Decide who picks up the children and who can access money and documents, and put it in writing. The Immigrant Legal Resource Center publishes a free family preparedness plan with the forms, including power of attorney and caregiver authorization, in English and Spanish.
ilrc.org → - 07
Report what happened
Call the MigraWatch hotline at 1-844-363-1423 to report and verify the enforcement action. Reports build the public record of how an operation was actually carried out — which, in several 2026 cases, is the only reason the official account was corrected.
This site is public information, not legal advice. Only a licensed immigration attorney or DOJ-accredited representative can advise on your case.