Take the following steps to search for someone who may have been arrested while crossing the border.
Call the consulate
What country is the person from? Call the consulate of that country. You should call the office that’s closest to where they attempted to cross.
Often the consulate will only provide information about a detained person to an immediate family member of theirs, such as a parent, sibling, spouse, or child. You will need their full name and birth date.
The consulates of Mexico have a nationwide 24-hour hotline. To call from within the US dial 855-463-6395. To call from Mexico dial 001-520-623-7874.
| Tucson, Arizona | 520-798-2217, 520-398-6912 |
| Phoenix, Arizona | 602-200-3660 |
| California | 213-365-9251 |
| McAllen, Texas | 956-429-3413 |
| Houston, Texas | 713-953-9531 |
| California | 213-995-6406 |
| McAllen, Texas | 956-627-3172 |
| Houston, Texas | 713-785-5932 |
| Dallas, Texas | 972-986-5512, 972-986-5513 |
The Dallas consulate is charged with looking into cases in Arizona.
| California | 213-252-1170 |
| Texas | 713-789-2762 |
| Tucson, Arizona | 520-318-0410 |
| California | 213-234-9200 |
| McAllen, Texas | 956-800-1363 |
| Houston, Texas | 346-571-5198 |
Other consulates can be found through a Google search.
Refugees, unaccompanied minors, and families: call the Office of Refugee Resettlement
If you are looking for a minor or a family group from Central America, South America, or Africa, or anyone who is claiming asylum in the United States, call the Office of Refugee Resettlement at 800-203-7001.
At this voicemail box, leave your name, your phone number, and the details of the person you are looking for, including your relationship to them. If this person is in their custody, they will confirm your relationship with them before calling you back. This phone line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Check online detainee locators
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainee locator
- Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) inmate locator
Use “search by biographical information”/“find by name” unless you know the person’s A number or BOP number.
Put in just the person’s name (and, for ICE, their country of origin) and leave the fields blank that are not required.
Enter the person’s first name (primer nombre) under “first name.” Enter both of their last names (paterno y materno) under “last name,” connected with a hyphen.
If you didn’t find anyone, try again with the last names in reverse order and spell the names in different ways. (For example, if the last names are González-Holguín, try searching also for holguin-honzalez, changing the z to s, and dropping the h.) This will help you find the person even if there was an error when the name was entered.
If you got too many results, try adding the middle name or date of birth to narrow the search.
Call the US Marshals
The US Marshals are the bailiffs of federal court, they have custody of those who are facing federal criminal charges, especially for immigration or smuggling violations. Remember that you have a right to know where your family member is, and that you do not need to respond to any questions about your status or location.
| Tucson, Arizona | 520-879-6900 (then dial 0) |
| Phoenix, Arizona | 602-382-8768 (then dial 0) |
| California | 213-894-6820 |
| Texas | 713-718-4800 |
Call ICE
ICE is in charge of enforcing immigration laws. It has custody of those who are in long-term detention awaiting deportation or fighting an immigration case. Remember that you have a right to know where your family member is, and that you do not need to respond to any questions about your status or location.
| National hotline | 888-351-4024 |
| Main Arizona office | 602-766-7030 |
| Florence, Arizona | 520-868-8383 |
| Eloy, Arizona | 520-464-3000 |
| California | 213-830-7911 |
| Dallas, Texas | 214-424-7800 |
| Houston, Texas | 281-774-4816 |
| El Paso, Texas | 915-225-1901 |
| San Antonio, Texas | 210-283-4750 |