I was wondering if anyone else feels it would be helpful to be able to get more information on deportations. We have a ton of open cases against people who should have been deported, but I have no idea if they actually were. It would seem to me that we should be able to access complete records to see how many times someone has entered illegally, been deported, etc. I cannot even look up a current detainee unless I get ahold of their weird ICE numbers, and I haven't figured out how to find that out. Anyone else have some thoughts before I write my Congressman?

You might contact the American Immigration Lawyers Association to see whether any of their folks would have some ideas on how to get that information. AILA

There are a few options to seek immigration and detention information about a defendant.

1. Go to ice.gov
At the bottom of the page, click on "Detainee Locator." You have the option to search for a person currently detained in ICE custody by A-number OR by name and DOB.

or

2. While in the "Detainee Locator" section, on the left hand side there is a green box. If you click on "ICE ERO Field Offices," you can get the phone number of your regional Enforcement and Removal Office (ERO). Those are the folks that manage the current detainees.

or

3. Also in that green box is the Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator. If an illegal immigrant has been federally charged for being in the US illegally, that person may already be serving a sentence in the BOP. You only need a name and DOB for this.

or

4. If you are in a prosecutor's office and need information about a defendant's federal status of any kind, please call your local United States Attorney's Office and ask for the duty attorney.