ICE Custody Transfer Trail
No ICE detention facility was identified within Jeff Davis County. ICE appears in the local facility map because a person can leave Presidio County Jail on an immigration detainer and enter federal civil custody. The county jail may record that event as a release from its own control. The destination decides its meaning.
When the destination is ICE, use the phrase “released from county custody to ICE” until the later status is known. That is a transfer between custodians, not proof of return to the community. The ICE Online Detainee Locator System, commonly shortened to ODLS, is the first public search. Direct contact is the fallback when the locator cannot resolve the person.
Search ICE by A-Number
The strongest locator route uses the person's A-number and country of birth. An A-number is the immigration file number assigned by federal authorities. The locator expects nine digits. If the known number has fewer digits, add leading zeros until it contains nine. Enter the country of birth exactly as the system requests.
- Confirm the A-number from a reliable document.
- Add leading zeros when needed.
- Select the correct country of birth.
- Complete the locator's required verification.
- Compare the returned identity and location.
- Record the search date and exact status wording.
A number search reduces the risk created by spelling, spacing, and common names. It still does not prove that a county case ended or that no other agency has authority. Match the result to the Jeff Davis or Presidio transfer record.
ICE Biographical Custody Search
When no A-number is available, ODLS permits a biographical search with exact first and last name, country of birth, and an optional date of birth. Exact-name behavior matters. A hyphen, second surname, spacing difference, changed name, or transcription error can prevent a match. Try only well-supported variants rather than guessing identities.
Compare all returned details. A name match alone is not identity proof. If the person cannot be found, obtain the spelling and identifiers recorded by the Jeff Davis County Sheriff or Presidio County Jail. The jail's destination entry can also show whether ICE was actually the receiving agency.
ICE Locator Coverage Limits
ODLS searches current ICE detention and qualifying Customs and Border Protection custody lasting more than 48 hours. Current ICE guidance also says the system includes people released from ICE custody within the prior 60 days, although not every person appears. Those time frames do not make it a full release archive.
| Locator outcome | Careful interpretation |
|---|---|
| Detention location shown | Current ICE or qualifying covered custody |
| Recent release record | An ICE event within the limited coverage period |
| No result | Could reflect timing, exact-match issues, suppression, or coverage |
| County transfer to ICE | County custody ended while immigration custody began |
| Check-in appointment | Case supervision contact, not detention proof |
The locator excludes people under 18. Delayed intake, transfer, release, removal, security limits, and data timing can all affect results. Continue to direct contact when identity and safety permit.
Call ICE DRIL Support
ICE lists the Detention Reporting and Information Line, or DRIL, at 1-888-351-4024. Published hours are Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern. Language assistance is available. DRIL is the next route when ODLS returns no clear match or when the displayed record needs explanation.
Have the A-number, exact name, date of birth, country of birth, last known jail, transfer date, and any ICE document number ready. Ask whether ICE can confirm current detention or direct the inquiry to the responsible field office. Do not ask DRIL to decide the outcome of the Jeff Davis criminal case. The combined county and district clerk remains the source for that local docket.
Pecos ICE Check-In Coverage
The ICE check-in directory identifies a Pecos location at 67 S. Frontage IH-20W, Pecos, TX 79772. Its published telephone number is 432-445-8300. Hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The listed coverage includes Jeff Davis County among other West Texas counties.
This is a check-in office. It is not an ICE detention facility, and an appointment there is not proof that someone was released from Presidio County Jail or from ICE. Check-in offices support immigration case contact and supervision. Confirm the purpose of a visit and current instructions before traveling.
Jeff Davis ICE Handoffs
The local custody chain begins with records, not assumptions. Ask the Jeff Davis Sheriff for the arrest and transport entry. If Presidio housed the person, ask for the physical release or transfer date, exact disposition code, and destination. A code legend may be necessary if the jail uses an abbreviation. Then check ICE with the strongest available identifier.
The Sheriff records the local arrest and handoff. Presidio records its jail event. ICE records immigration custody. The Jeff Davis clerk records bond, dismissal, judgment, and later court action. Three dates can differ: the court order, jail transfer, and ICE intake. Keep all three rather than forcing one “release date.”
ICE Release Versus Removal
Release from ICE custody, removal from the United States, transfer to another facility, and a check-in requirement are different outcomes. ODLS may not state the full legal basis. Ask ICE for the exact recorded event that can be disclosed and use immigration court or agency documents when a formal case outcome is needed.
An ICE release does not dispose of a Jeff Davis criminal cause. A local dismissal does not direct the immigration case. A removal event is not a community release in Jeff Davis County. Use neutral, exact labels and avoid drawing legal conclusions from a missing locator result.
ICE Versus USMS Custody
Federal custody is not one system. USMS often controls federal pretrial detention and transport. BOP controls most sentenced federal incarceration. ICE controls civil immigration detention. A county record may name one of these agencies, and the correct public path changes with that destination.
USMS does not offer a public historical released-person roster. BOP has a locator that can retain released federal sentence records. ICE ODLS has current and limited recent coverage. A BOP “Released” result does not answer an ICE question, while no ICE result does not answer a BOP or USMS question. Follow each agency separately.
ICE Versus TDCJ Custody
A Jeff Davis felony case can also move from Presidio into the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. TDCJ is a state system. Its online search includes only people currently incarcerated in TDCJ and runs on working-day data that are at least 24 hours old. ICE is federal civil immigration custody. Neither search replaces the other.
If Presidio names TDCJ, use the state search and later historical records. If it names ICE, use ODLS and DRIL. If both systems may be involved at different times, build a dated chain with each admission, release, transfer, and destination. The Jeff Davis County release search explains the local first step.
Request ICE Custody Records
For a stronger historical answer, use the appropriate federal records process and immigration case records. Identify the person, A-number, date of birth, country of birth, last known facility, transfer date, and requested event. Ask for an existing custody, transfer, or release record rather than requesting that staff create a new custody history.
Federal disclosure law, Privacy Act limits, immigration confidentiality, security needs, and record-specific exemptions can affect the response. Identity verification or authorization may be required. Request segregable portions if a full record cannot be released. No ICE detention office or records counter was identified in Jeff Davis County, so do not send a detention request to the Pecos check-in site without confirming its role.
ICE Custody Chain Proof
A strong timeline names the agency, timestamp, event, and destination. It can show Jeff Davis arrest, Presidio admission, county release to ICE, ICE intake, later transfer, and ICE release or removal. Keep the local court disposition beside the chain rather than treating it as the immigration result.
When sources conflict, note each update time and call the agency that physically controlled the person at that stage. Do not collapse a county release and ICE intake into one event. Do not turn a Pecos check-in into detention proof. Most of all, do not state community release until the receiving-custodian question has been resolved.