1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has stopped publicly revealing where it is holding thousands of immigrants who received final deportation orders. On September 15, 2026, ICE removed these detainees from its online detainee locator database, preventing family members and legal representatives from locating them. This move makes it far more difficult for lawyers and relatives to find detainees. Judges have ordered ICE to list detainees in some facilities promptly upon arrival as part of litigation over detention practices, but most detainees are now hidden from public view. The effort to hide their locations adds to the ways the Trump administration has made life harder for detainees and their families as it has increased pressure on them to waive appeals and agree to deportation. An ACLU attorney stated that the change could make it "nearly impossible" for people to challenge their removals, saying "If you can't find your client, you can't get that information to the court to stop their removal." This represents a dangerous expansion of government secrecy and removal of due process protections. Congress must act to reinstate transparency requirements and dismantle ICE when Democrats regain power.