ICE Detention Release Paths
ICE detention is civil immigration custody administered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, often through contracted facilities. It is not a county-jail sentence and it is not BOP federal prison custody. A person can leave Yellow Medicine County Jail for ICE and remain detained. A person can later leave ICE custody under the immigration process. Each agency records only its own part of that chain.
The county jail movement entry should establish whether Yellow Medicine County released the person to the community or transferred the person to ICE. If it identifies an immigration handoff, use ICE’s Online Detainee Locator System, often called ODLS, for the next stage. Current ICE guidance cited in the research says ODLS includes current detention and can include people released from ICE custody within the last 60 days. It does not promise a permanent historical released-person record.
| Custody event | Correct evidence | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| County to ICE transfer | County out/movement record and ICE confirmation | Local custody ended, but detention continued. |
| Current ICE detention | ODLS and detention facility | ICE reports the person in civil immigration custody. |
| Recent ICE release | ODLS within its current window and ICE record | ICE custody ended as reported, subject to system limits. |
| No ODLS result | Detention line, ERO, or facility | No conclusion without further checking. |
ICE Detention Status Search
Open the ICE Online Detainee Locator. The strongest search uses the nine-digit A-number and country of birth. The alternate search requires exact first and last name plus country of birth, with date of birth available as another field. An A-number is an immigration identifier. Enter all nine digits, including a leading zero when needed. ODLS does not display people under 18.
Exact data matters. Name order, spelling, compound surnames, country of birth, and date of birth can affect a result. Do not broaden the conclusion when the submitted identifiers may be wrong. ICE detention can also occur through contracted facilities, so a person’s physical location may not carry an ICE name. Use the facility information supplied by the locator or detention contact.
- Obtain the A-number from a reliable record when possible.
- Search with all nine digits and the person’s country of birth.
- If no A-number is known, use exact name and country of birth, then add date of birth.
- Read the detention status and facility information exactly as shown.
- When the result fails or appears stale, call the detention information line and provide the same identifiers.
Note: ODLS is not a comprehensive historical release database, so an old ICE event may require direct agency or case records.
ICE Detainer Release Handoffs
An ICE detainer is a request about custody after a local release point. It does not itself prove that ICE took the person. ICE states that if it does not assume custody within 48 hours, the local agency must release the person. The case-specific clock and legal basis must be read from the actual records. The Yellow Medicine County movement code and receiving-agency field establish whether an ICE transfer occurred.
A transfer to ICE is not a community release. The person has left the Yellow Medicine County Jail record, but civil detention continues. This distinction is the facility page’s core local angle. Anyone trying to confirm location should follow the county entry into ODLS, the Enforcement and Removal Operations contact, or the named detention facility. Calling a county roster disappearance “released” would lose the handoff.
No official evidence reviewed establishes Yellow Medicine County Jail as an ICE detention-contract facility. The local facility is a county jail operated by the Sheriff’s Office. The ICE issue arises only when immigration authorities may become the next custodian. Do not describe Granite Falls as an ICE center or publish a local ICE address that the research did not establish.
Confirm ICE Detention Release
A defensible confirmation uses two agency records. First, ask the Yellow Medicine County Sheriff for the out date and time, release or movement code with its definition, legal authority, and receiving agency. That entry answers what happened to county custody. Second, use ICE records to confirm current detention, facility, or release from ICE custody. One system cannot prove the other agency’s event.
If ODLS shows a current match, contact the listed facility for a time-sensitive change. If the locator has no match, call the ICE Detention Reporting and Information Line. Exact name, A-number, country of birth, and date of birth help the agency check. A missing online record could reflect spelling, age limits, processing lag, another authority, or an event outside the recent window. It is not proof of release.
Immigration court and agency documents may add legal context, but they should not replace the custody record. A federal order can explain authority. The facility or ICE movement record supplies the physical event. If the person later enters USMS or BOP custody, follow that named destination rather than continuing to search only ODLS.
The Yellow Medicine County release search home page covers the county request fields and court cross-check that establish the local half of an ICE handoff.
ICE Detention Records Contact
The official locator is the first public channel for ICE detention. When it is inconclusive, the documented fallback is the ICE Detention Reporting and Information Line, also called DRIL. The research provides its telephone hours. It does not identify a Yellow Medicine County ICE field-office address or a local contract center, so none should be invented.
ICE Detention Reporting and Information Line
Official detention-status fallback
1-888-351-4024
Monday–Friday
8:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. Eastern
Have the A-number, exact name, country of birth, date of birth, last known custodian, and approximate dates ready. Ask whether ICE currently holds the person, what facility is responsible, or what official route can confirm a recent custody change. The line’s answer concerns ICE. It cannot certify the earlier Yellow Medicine County out time unless the county record is also obtained.
The named detention facility or Enforcement and Removal Operations field office may hold more specific movement information. Follow only the official contact supplied for the person’s actual case. ICE facilities can be outside Minnesota, and contract placements can change. A guessed local destination creates risk and adds no value.
ICE Detention Status Fields
ODLS uses limited identifiers to locate a person. It is not a full immigration case file, criminal docket, or sentence record. Keep the search fields separate from a resulting status. The A-number helps identify the immigration record. Country of birth is required in both documented search paths. The displayed detention location or contact should be followed for current facts.
| A-number | Nine-digit immigration identifier used with country of birth. |
|---|---|
| Exact first and last name | Alternate search path when no A-number is known. |
| Country of birth | Required identity field in the documented ODLS searches. |
| Date of birth | Optional name-search field that can narrow the match. |
| Custody or facility result | Supplies the current ICE locator response when available. |
People under 18 do not appear in ODLS. A no-result can also arise from an exact-name mismatch or an event outside the public window. Recent-release coverage should be described cautiously because the locator is centered on detention and limited recent history. Ask ICE for the correct record route when an old release must be confirmed.
- Detainer
- An ICE request concerning custody after local authority reaches a release point.
- ODLS
- ICE’s Online Detainee Locator System for current and limited recent status.
- A-number
- A nine-digit identifier used in immigration records.
- Community release
- An exit from custody, unlike a handoff from the county to ICE detention.
Yellow Medicine ICE Release Split
Yellow Medicine County jail data and ICE data belong to separate custodians. The Sheriff’s record can say when county custody ended and who received the person. ODLS can report the ICE stage. BOP does not replace either source because it concerns federal prison custody. USMS concerns federal criminal pretrial and transport custody. Minnesota DOC concerns state sentences. Matching the system to the event prevents false conclusions.
A person can be absent from VINE because the county record changed, absent from ODLS because search data are incomplete, and absent from BOP because no federal prison commitment exists. None of those negative results alone proves community release. The strongest path starts with a dated agency movement, uses a notice or locator as support, and follows the receiving authority.
If ICE releases the person, record the precise ICE status and date supplied by the official source. Do not use the earlier county out time as the ICE release time. If ICE transfers the person again, keep following the chain. Every custodian can establish only its own handoff or release.
Official records can be corrected or restricted. Use the least personal data needed to identify the right person, and preserve the difference between a criminal court event and civil immigration custody. Those details make the answer useful without overstating what ODLS can prove.