Overview
- ICE quietly stopped listing people who have final orders of removal in its public online detainee locator, a policy change that took effect on Sept. 15, according to multiple officials and reporting.
- The removal from the public system left lawyers and family members unable to find clients and loved ones, prompting an alert from the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
- Advocates and attorneys say the change could speed deportations by making it harder to file last‑minute habeas petitions and to identify the proper federal court or location for urgent legal filings.
- The policy does not apply uniformly because court orders require ICE to list detainees at specific sites such as Adelanto and some temporary holding centers in Minneapolis, New York City and suburban Chicago.
- The locator began in 2010 to help families and counsel track people in custody, and experts warn that removing listings for thousands — including a cohort identified in July data — raises oversight, humanitarian and due‑process concerns.