How to locate someone in the immigrant detention system: It can be hard to figure out where someone is being held once they have been picked up by immigration enforcement. If a friend or family member calls you from detention, the first information to get from them is their A# and full name, birth date, and country of origin, if you don’t already know. The A#, or Alien ID number, is an 8 or 9 digit number that ICE uses to track all people in their system. Using either someone’s full name and/or A# along with their country of origin, you can look up where a person is being held using the ICE online detainee locator. Here is the link: https://locator.ice.gov/odls/homePage.do If you are unable to find them, try several different combinations of their name as ICE could have mis-ordered their first or middle name. Family names are usually hyphenated if people have family names, i.e. Juan David Hernandez Lopez would likely be listed as: Last name: Hernandez-Lopez, First name Juan or Juan David or David. You can also call the court hotline to find out if they have any future court dates and when they are. This number is 800-898-7180. To find information this way, you only need their A#. Visiting and writing letters to someone inside: People held in immigration detention may send and receive letters and may receive visitors. The rules for visitation vary by detention center. The only things you can send are letters, cards, or postcards. You cannot mail in magazines, books, food, cash, or even stamps. Cards that have things stuck to them (stickers, pop-up cards) may be returned. People who are detained can buy paper and stamps inside the detention centers. Address the letter like this: Name A# C/O DHS Name of Detention Center Address Addresses for the detention centers in Arizona: Eloy (All people the government identify as women are detained in Arizona are held in Eloy, both men and women are held here) Eloy Detention Center/ CCA 1705 E. Hanna Rd Eloy, AZ 85231 Visitation in Eloy happens only on weekends and holiday. The person detained must submit a visitor request form with the names, Social Security numbers, and relationship of all the people who would like to visit. This may take 3 weeks to process. These forms are often lost in the processing center, so the person detained may have to submit a form more than once before a visitor is approved. Florence Central Arizona Detention Center CADC/ CCA PO Box 6300 Florence, AZ 85132 Visitation hours vary by the section of the detention center (pod) where the person is held. Call CADC at 520-868-3668 for specific information. Florence Correctional Center FCC/ CCA PO Box 6900 Florence, AZ 85132 Visitation hours vary by the section of the detention center (pod) where the person is held. Call FCC at 520-868-9095 for specific information. Service and Processing Center (SPC) Federal/ ICE 3250 N. Pinal Parkway Florence, AZ 85132 Phone: 520-868-8387 Visitation at SPC is from 12:30 pm to 6:30 pm Monday through Friday and 8:30 am to 10:30 am and 12:30 pm to 6:30 pm on weekends. Visits are on the half hour and can last up to two hours. You must arrive 45 minutes before the visit and check in with the front gate. For example, for a 12:30 visit you must arrive by 11:45 to check in at the front gate. Up to three people can visit at a time and visitations are in person. Pinal County Jail (PCJ) PO Box 2610 Florence, AZ 85132 (mailing address) Phone: 520-866-5021 Physical Address (for visitation) Pinal County Jail 971 Jason Lopez Circle Florence, AZ 85132 Visitations at PCJ are over a video chat so you are not physically in the same room as the person you’re visiting. Visits are exactly 30 minutes with a countdown timer the whole time. Visitation takes place throughout the day from 7:30am-8:00pm. Call beforehand as hours may change. Bond information and how to bond someone out of detention: Many (but not all) people who are detained may fight their case outside of detention rather than inside. To do so people generally pay a bond, a quantity of money set by ICE or an immigration judge. This is money that would theoretically return to the person who paid it as long as the person released goes to court and follows up on ICE appointments and complies with their final order, including that they comply with a deportation if that is the determination they receive by an immigration judge. Someone being held in immigrant detention can ask for a bond hearing at any time. This process can be very complicated. There are several things that friends and family outside can do to support people in getting bond. Qualifying for Bond: Although many people in immigrant detention qualify for a bond to be released from detention, others do not. For example, if a person has a previous deportation order (through a judge), certain criminal convictions (generally convictions carrying a sentence of 6 months or more, though this can vary), or were arrested at the Port of Entry, it is unlikely that they will qualify for bond. For information regarding specific individuals eligibility for bond, please consult with an immigration attorney. However, although not everybody will ultimately get out on bond, EVERYBODY in detention has a right to request a bond hearing. Although the judge may tell somebody that they do not qualify for bond at that hearing, simply asking for a bond hearing will not have any adverse effect in somebody’s case. Writing a Letter of Support for someone’s bond In order to be released on bond, the judge will want to know where someone will be staying and the name of a Permanent Resident or U.S. Citizen who resides there. This section is on how to write a primary letter of support for someone who is trying to get released on bond from immigrant detention. The main commitment that a person has who writes the letter is to insure that if the person moves that they change their address with ICE. You are not required to host a person until they finish their court. Requirements for a letter of support: letter must be written in English it must begin with “Dear Immigration Judge” the letter must identify the detainee by full name and A# the letter must include your name and address and explain how you know the person in detention that you are writing letter of support for, and explain that this person will be able to stay with you when they are released from detention the letter must include a copy of the author’s proof of identity and immigration status and address verification in the form of: o U.S. birth certificate, passport, naturalization certificate, green card/ residency card, work permit and/or Visa with a valid I-94 o AND: a copy of a document to verify the address where the person will be released to (phone bill, electric bill, etc.) It is best to send 3 copies of the letter of support and proof of identity via express mail to the detention facility with the person’s A# included. Mail this to the person who is detained, not to the court. He or she must submit it to the court himself or herself. After the letter of support has been received, the person in detention can request a bond hearing. The judge will usually hand out Bond Hearing Request forms in court, and it is the person who is detained (if they have no attorney) or the attorney’s responsibility to submit this form, along with any supporting documentation (such as support letters). To schedule a hearing, the respondent simply fills out the form and submits it to the Immigration court. Bond hearings are scheduled approximately one week after the Immigration court receives the request form. Because of this quick scheduling, it is very important that the detainee does not submit the Bond Hearing Request form until they have all of their supporting documents for bond. The immigration judge’s prefer to receive supporting documents along with the hearing request form. Bond hearing request forms can be submitted at any time during the immigration court process, but earlier is better. Other Letters of Support In addition to a primary letter of support (the letter of support from the person with the address where the person who is detained will live), it can help to have letters of support about that person’s good moral character and how much they contribute to the community. Below is a sample secondary letter of support. Dear Immigration Judge: I certify under penalty of perjury that the following is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. I, (write your full name), ___________________, verify that I know _____________ since__________. Why I am writing this letter? Explain why you are writing this letter. How do you know this person? How is this person a part of your community or church? Explain in detail how you know this person and how he/she is a part of your community or church? Good Moral Character How is he/she a good person? Have they helped you in anyway? The danger if this person were to return to their country of origin What do you know about the situation in their country of origin? Do you feel that he or she will be in danger if they were to return to their country of origin? How would you help this person find a job or obtain resources if they are allowed to stay in this country? (NOTE: IF THE PERSON DOES NOT HAVE WORK PERMISSION THIS SHOULD NOT BE A PLAN TO FIND THEM WORK UNDER THE TABLE, BUT RATHER HOW YOU WILL SUPPORT THEM UNTIL THEY HAVE WORK PERMISSION) Please explain. _____________________________ ________ Signature of person writing this letter Date How to pay someone’s bond: You can pay someone’s bond in Florence, Tucson, Phoenix, or any ICE Office in the US. This may change. In the month of May 2013, for example, Florence is not accepting bonds paid in Tucson so they must be paid in Florence. Call the office beforehand to find out or start the process as early in the day as possible (8am) to ensure you can finish the process by the end of the day. In order to pay someone’s bond, you must be 18 or older and be able to prove that you are in the U.S. legally, and have no pending legal charges. In order to pay bond, you must have: 2 photo IDs and proof of immigration status (for example, a passport or green card) Proof of a social security number A valid address and PROOF of that address (such as a utility bill). A letter addressed to the house is not sufficient, but you can use a rent agreement if you do not pay utilities. The EXACT quantity of the bond in the form of a Bank Cashier’s check made payable to: Department of Homeland Security You also must know the following information about the person you are paying bond for: their A#, date of birth, the address that they said they would be released to. To Pay a Bond In Phoenix: Take all of the listed requirements with the cashier’s check to the ICE office in Central Phoenix. Be prepared to wait for several hours! If the bond is successfully paid the person will be released that day. If you cannot be there to meet the person in Florence he or she will be transported to the Greyhound station in Phoenix. People generally arrive between 8pm and 10pm at night. ICE field office: 2035 N. Central Ave., Phoenix AZ 85004 To Pay a Bond in Tucson: Take all of the listed requirements (photo IDs, proof of address) with the cashier’s check to the ICE office in Tucson at Valencia and Country Club (6431 S. Country Club Road; Tucson, AZ 85706). It is best to pay bonds in the morning if possible. It can take several hours and if it is not finished by 3pm you may have to start over the next day. If you cannot be there to meet the person in Florence he or she will be transported to the Greyhound station in Phoenix. People generally arrive between 8pm and 10pm at night. Note, even if the bond is paid in Tucson, the person will be taken to the Greyhound in Phoenix. From there, they can purchase a Greyhound ticket to Tucson. To Pay a Bond in Florence: Take all of the listed requirements (photo IDs, proof of address) with the cashier’s check to the Florence Service Processing Center. Tell the person at the front gate that you are there to pay a bond. All bonds must be paid by 3pm, so the earlier you can get there the better. The person can be released from Florence that day. All other cities: Contact your local field office to find out where you can pay bonds: http://www.ice.gov/contact/ero/ Recovering money and property from a Florence facility Getting Property and money back from a Florence detention center after someone has been released. Once someone has been released from one of the four ICE facilities in Florence (SPC, PCJ, FCC and CADC), SPC will hold all property for 30 days from release date. If someone has property to recover, SPC will send a letter to the address to which they have been released. This letter has a tracking number on it. The person who was released can then call SPC and request their property using that tracking number. If the address that someone was released to has changed, the person who was released can call to have that letter forwarded to the new address. Without that letter, the person getting released cannot retrieve property. How to get clothes to a detainee who is being released or deported from Florence The detainee has to submit a detainee request form to request clothes in whichever facility they are in. The request form will go through SPC for approval, then the detainee will be notified that it has been approved. Then we can send clothes via mail or drop them off at the SPC facility (address listed above). Only clothing can be requested and sent. If someone is being held at PCJ, FCC or CADC, they will go through the same process except they will be brought to SPC to receive their clothing package and then be brought back to the facility where they are housed. All clothing must be sent or brought to SPC regardless of where they are being held. How to get someone their clothing when they are getting released or deported from Eloy In order for someone to receive clothing sent from outside the facility, the person detained must submit a detainee request form to have property sent to them. They must send you a copy of this form. You may only mail (you cannot deliver to Eloy yourself) the property in. Mail to the same address where you normally mail their letters (name, A#, Eloy Detention Center, 1705 E Hanna Road; Eloy, AZ 85131). You can ONLY send in the exact items they listed on their request form. You may not send in any additional items or the entire package will be confiscated. How to put money in someone’s account Putting money on someone’s books is facility- specific. You need to know someone’s A# and inmate ID# or commissary in order to place money on someone’s account. Money in someone’s account can be used for commissary, telephone accounts and/or self-bail. Eloy will give you the Inmate ID# over the phone if you have someone’s A#. SPC- only accepts cash or money order: bring it in or mail it to: 3250 N. Pinal Parkway, Florence AZ 85132 PCJ- there are three ways to put money on someone’s account at PCJ: · Pay-by-phone: 1-866-232-1899 · Online at: www.touchpaydirect.com · At the kiosk located in the PCJ lobby Travel Arrangements: All people released from immigration detention from Arizona’s five immigration detention facilities will be transported free of charge to the Greyhound Station in Phoenix. You may purchase a bus ticket for your loved one to leave from that station at http://www.greyhound.com/ or over the phone at 1-800-231-2222. Most people released from immigration detention cannot travel by plane. While airlines will sell tickets, people may not fly using the identification they are provided when released from immigration detention. Unless your friend or loved one has a passport or ID in addition to their ICE paperwork, do not buy a plane ticket. They can travel by bus or train. More information: The Florence Project website (www.firrp.org) has a variety of materials for people appearing in immigration proceedings without legal representation. Deportation 101: A comprehensive guide to immigrant detention, getting out of detention, and organizing to fight back: http://www.familiesforfreedom.org/deportation-101-manual