Santos Khoury founding partners Matthew Khoury and Fernando Santos

Urgent ICE Detention · California · Answered 24/7

Detained by ICE in California?Call Now. The First 72 Hours Decide a Lot.

In California, ICE arrests from Los Angeles, Orange County, and the Inland Empire are typically held at Adelanto; San Diego and border arrests at Otay Mesa or Imperial; Central Valley and Bay Area arrests at Mesa Verde or Golden State Annex. Our San Diego office is minutes from Otay Mesa, and we file bond requests at every California facility.

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4.9 ★★★★★ · 500+ Google reviewsFounding Partners Matthew Khoury, Esq. & Fernando Santos, Esq.

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What to do if ICE detains someone

The First 72 Hours, Step by Step

Southern California arrests usually end up at Otay Mesa or Adelanto; Central Valley and Bay Area cases go to Mesa Verde or Golden State Annex. Transfers to Arizona and Texas happen when California beds fill up.

ICE Online Detainee Locator Call the detention line

Hour 1
Locate the person
Search ICE's Online Detainee Locator with the full name and country of birth or the A-number. New arrests may not show for a day; we call the field office and the likely facilities directly.
Day 1
Do not sign anything
ICE paperwork can waive the right to a hearing. Tell the person to ask for a lawyer and sign nothing without one.
Day 1 to 2
Gather the packet
Passport, prior immigration papers, proof of address, family ties, employment, and a sponsor with lawful status. Every document shortens the time in detention.
Day 2 to 5
The bond request
We contact the deportation officer, review the record for mandatory-detention issues, and file the bond motion with the court that has the case.
Weeks 1 to 3
The bond hearing
The judge weighs flight risk and danger. A complete packet brings the number down; release usually follows within a day of payment.

California immigration facts

The Courts, Facilities, and Offices That Decide California Cases

Immigration courts

San Francisco Immigration Court
100 Montgomery St, Suite 800, San Francisco, CA 94104
Est. wait 3.2 yrs · 12 judges · Pending 28,500
Los Angeles Immigration Court
606 S Olive St, 15th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90014
Est. wait 4.1 yrs · 28 judges · Pending 95,000
San Diego Immigration Court
401 Mile of Cars Way, Suite 200, National City, CA 91950
Est. wait 2.8 yrs · 5 judges · Pending 13,000

Wait times and pending-case figures are estimates; confirm your hearing with your A-number through EOIR.

ICE detention facilities

Otay Mesa Detention Center, San Diego, CA: minutes from our San Diego office
Adelanto ICE Processing Center, Adelanto, CA: the largest facility in Southern California
Imperial Regional Detention Facility, Calexico, CA
Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center, Bakersfield, CA
Golden State Annex, McFarland, CA

Someone detained? Call now

USCIS and asylum offices

Affirmative asylum interviews for California residents are generally scheduled through the Los Angeles Asylum Office (Anaheim) and San Francisco Asylum Office (Anaheim and San Francisco, CA).

USCIS field offices serving California: San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Ana, San Bernardino, San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, Fresno, Imperial.

How we serve California

Our San Diego office sits ten miles from the Otay Mesa Detention Center and the San Diego Immigration Court. Our attorneys are admitted in California and appear in the Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco immigration courts.

Office: 3111 Camino Del Rio N, Suite 400, San Diego, CA 92108

Languages: English · Español · Português · العربية · Français · Hours: 24/7

Free bond estimator

Could They Be Released on Bond, and for How Much?

Six quick questions give a typical bond range and flag the situations where mandatory detention blocks a bond. Nothing you enter leaves your device.

Why the person was detained
Criminal history and rehabilitation
Family ties, home, work, and years in the U.S.
Prior orders and court attendance

The estimate is a starting point. The bond packet we file is what brings the number down.

Free tool · Santos Khoury Law

Immigration Bond Estimator

Estimate the likely bond range for an ICE detention case and see which factors the judge will weigh.

100% confidential. Runs in your browser, nothing is stored or sent.

Why was the person detained?

Criminal history

Ties to the community in the U.S.

Prior deportation or removal orders?

Court appearance history

Years in the United States

Someone You Love Is Detained?

Every day in detention matters. Our attorneys request bond hearings nationwide and know how to present ties, sponsorship, and evidence the way judges expect. We can often move within days.

Call 888-805-9065 Schedule a Consultation

Disclaimer: Bond amounts are set by immigration judges and vary widely by jurisdiction, judge, and individual circumstances. Mandatory detention under INA §236(c) may apply to certain criminal convictions, in which case no bond is available from the immigration court. This tool provides general information only and is not legal advice. Using it does not create an attorney-client relationship with Santos Khoury Law.

Watch: our attorneys explain

Detention Questions, Answered by Our Attorneys

Is Your Family Member Detained by ICE?
First steps to take when a loved one is taken into ICE custody.
Understanding ICE Custody and Detention Defense
What happens after ICE custody and how detention defense works.
Can One Arrest Put You in ICE Custody?
How a single arrest can lead to ICE detention and what to do next.
ICE at Your Door? Know What to Do
What your rights are if ICE comes to your home.
People Are Being Arrested in Immigration Court Before Seeing a Judge
What is happening at courthouse arrests and what it means for your case.
Missed Your Immigration Court Date? You May Be Able to Reopen Your Case
Options for reopening a case after a missed hearing.

More on the video center or call 888-805-9065.

Common questions

ICE Detention Questions From California, Answered

How do I find someone ICE arrested in California?

Search ICE's Online Detainee Locator with the person's full name and country of birth, or their A-number. If they were arrested in the last 24 hours they may not appear yet. Call us and we contact the field office and the likely facilities: Otay Mesa Detention Center, Adelanto ICE Processing Center, Imperial Regional Detention Facility.

What should the family do in the first day?

Do not sign anything ICE presents without a lawyer, gather the person's documents (passport, any prior immigration papers, proof of address and family ties), write down the A-number, and call us. Every document gathered now shortens the time in detention.

Can the person be released on bond?

Often, yes. ICE makes a first custody decision; if it denies bond or sets it too high, an immigration judge can review it at a bond hearing. Certain convictions and some entry situations block a bond, which is why the record must be reviewed immediately.

Will they be moved out of California?

What happens at the first hearing?

For detained cases the first hearing comes fast, often within weeks. The judge confirms the charges, sets deadlines, and, if requested, schedules the bond hearing. Walking in without a lawyer is how good cases get lost.

Do you handle detention cases outside business hours?

Yes. The detention line is answered 24/7 in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, and French, and we can often act the same day.

Have a different question? Call 888-805-9065

Detention line, answered 24/7

Someone You Love Is Detained. Call Now.

Answered 24/7 in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, and French. We locate your loved one in California or wherever they were moved and start the bond request the same day.

Call 888-805-9065 Book a Free Consultation

Every case is different. Outcomes cannot be guaranteed.