No One in Immigration Detention Should Become Impossible to Find

As your constituent, I urge you to investigate the reported change in Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Online Detainee Locator System (ODLS) and support action to reverse it if confirmed. The reported change can make detainees impossible for families, lawyers, and courts to locate. A September 30, 2026 submission to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances reports that, beginning September 15, ICE removed thousands of people with final orders of removal from the ODLS. Families and attorneys may not know whether someone is detained, transferred, or removed. Even after a final removal order, a person may ask a court or immigration authorities to pause removal, reopen the case, seek protection from danger or hardship, or challenge detention. CONCEALED LOCATIONS CAN BLOCK LEGAL PROTECTION The submission says ICE has not publicly announced the change. It describes a mother and daughter whose records disappeared from the locator until a federal judge required ICE to disclose where they were held. Congress should investigate promptly rather than allow people to be transferred or removed while their locations are concealed. LAWYERS CANNOT PROTECT RIGHTS WITHOUT LOCATION Under 28 U.S.C. § 2241, federal courts may review unlawful custody. A habeas petition, which asks a court to review custody, ordinarily must identify the immediate physical custodian and be filed where the person is held. If the government hides a detainee’s location, counsel may be unable to reach the proper court or seek emergency relief. ICE describes the ODLS as a tool that helps families and attorneys locate detained individuals. Regulation 8 C.F.R. § 236.6 protects detainee information from public disclosure. Congress should require safe updates to the public locator, immediate confidential notice to counsel and the relevant court, and secure family notification. CONGRESS MUST PROTECT COUNSEL AND COURT REVIEW I urge you to take these actions: (1) INVESTIGATE THE POLICY. Support hearings and request DHS and ICE produce the policy, legal basis, number of people affected, and records since September 15. (2) RESTORE LOCATION ACCESS. Support legislation requiring ODLS updates within one hour of arrest or transfer, once known, subject to narrow safety and privacy exceptions, with confidential counsel and court access. (3) PROTECT COUNSEL AND FAMILIES. Support legislation requiring prompt notice to the lawyer of record before transfer, immediate notice in a genuine emergency, and secure family notification. (4) PROTECT JUDICIAL REVIEW. Support legislation prohibiting removal when counsel or a court has not received timely notice of the detainee’s location, subject to narrow emergency procedures for rapid review. (5) REQUIRE INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT. Request a Government Accountability Office review and support an independent DHS Office of Inspector General investigation with a public report within 90 days. Thank you.