ICE Detention Release Scope
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention system is a federal civil immigration network. It is not a Worcester County criminal jail and does not use the Maryland DOC locator. No dedicated ICE facility or county detention contract in Worcester County was established by the official research. ICE may still become relevant when a local custodian transfers a person under federal immigration authority.
ICE's Online Detainee Locator System, known as ODLS, covers people currently in ICE detention. ICE guidance also says the system includes people released from ICE custody within the last 60 days. That is a real but short federal window. It is not the Worcester County 72-hour list, and it does not preserve a permanent local custody history.
Search ICE Detainee Release Records
The ICE Online Detainee Locator System provides two search routes. The preferred route uses the person's A-number and country of birth. The biographical route uses exact first and last name, date of birth, and country of birth. Identity details must match the federal record closely.
- Choose the A-number route when the federal immigration identifier is known.
- Enter the A-number as nine digits, adding leading zeros when the known number is shorter.
- Select the correct country of birth and submit the search.
- If no A-number is available, use the exact-name route with date and country of birth.
- Read the result for current ICE custody or a recent ICE release within the system's stated scope.
- Call ICE's information line when a precise search returns no clear result or the custody sequence remains uncertain.
ODLS excludes minors. Do not try to work around that limit or publish the private identity inputs used in the search. An exact no-result can still mean the person is outside the tool's time or record scope, the data do not match, or another custodian applies.
Note: Keep the A-number and birth details private, and publish only the minimum status facts needed for a lawful verification.
ICE Sixty-Day Release Window
ICE's 60-day released-person coverage is broader than a same-day or three-day check but much shorter than a permanent archive. Count the window from the ICE event, not from an earlier Worcester County Jail departure. If local custody ended first and ICE took control, the two clocks begin with different custodians.
| Event | What the date means |
|---|---|
| Worcester County Jail departure | The county jail relinquished physical control |
| ICE transfer intake | Federal immigration detention began after another custodian's transfer |
| ICE release | ICE relinquished its own physical control under the immigration process |
| ODLS search date | The date used to judge whether a released result may remain inside the 60-day scope |
A local release record can show “ICE,” a detainer, recipient, or transfer agency when such a field is maintained and disclosable. That local record does not predict how long ICE will hold the person or how the immigration case will proceed. Likewise, an ICE release does not dispose of a Worcester County criminal charge, sentence, warrant, or court condition.
Worcester County ICE Transfer Check
When Worcester County Jail reports that a person is no longer there, ask whether the outcome was community release or transfer. The jail record may identify a recipient or destination, subject to legal limits. If immigration custody is plausible, search ODLS after allowing for processing lag. A new ICE result supports continued federal custody rather than community release from the whole chain.
- Call Worcester County Jail at 410-632-1300 and ask whether the person remains in local custody.
- If not, ask whether the jail can disclose release versus transfer, the date and time, and the receiving agency.
- Check the Worcester County criminal docket for the legal events tied to the local case.
- Search ICE ODLS with exact federal identity data when the local record suggests immigration custody.
- Record both the county departure date and the ICE status date without merging them.
- Use the ICE information line when the public result is unclear.
The Worcester County Jail release page covers the local half of that chain. The full Worcester County release search helps when state, BOP, another county, or court records may also apply.
ICE Release Search Fields
ODLS is designed to locate a person, not to publish a full immigration file. Its search inputs and returned status should be kept separate from a county release log. If the federal result is unclear, do not guess at custody, conditions, destination, or case outcome.
| Input or result | Use and limit |
|---|---|
| Nine-digit A-number | Primary federal identity key, used with country of birth |
| Exact first and last name | Biographical search route when no A-number is available |
| Date and country of birth | Required matching data for the exact-name route |
| Current custody result | Shows ICE control within the public system's present scope |
| Recent release result | May show an ICE release within the stated 60-day period |
Do not expose birth dates, A-numbers, personal addresses, contact details, or other sensitive inputs merely to illustrate a search. A public status result does not make the full immigration case public. Use the smallest set of facts needed to distinguish the person and confirm the named custodian's event.
Note: Search inputs are identity controls, not facts that should be republished with a public ICE custody result.
ICE Release Information Contact
If ODLS gives no result or an unclear result, the official fallback is the ICE Detention Reporting and Information Line. The research lists 1-888-351-4024, Monday through Friday except holidays, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern. Confirm these live hours on the official source before relying on them because federal contact details can change.
ICE Detention Reporting and Information LineTelephone: 1-888-351-4024
Posted schedule: Monday through Friday, excluding holidays
Posted hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern
Online route: ICE Online Detainee Locator System
The official ICE detention resources page supplies locator scope and federal guidance. Ask a narrow status question and provide identity data directly to ICE. The line is not a substitute for legal advice or for the Worcester County court record.
Meaning of an ICE Release
Release from ICE custody ends physical control by that federal immigration custodian. It may involve immigration conditions or ongoing proceedings. It does not dismiss a Maryland criminal case, end a state sentence, satisfy a Worcester County warrant, or prove that all supervision has ended. Those questions belong to their respective courts and agencies.
- ICE detention
- Federal civil immigration custody administered through ICE.
- ICE release
- Departure from ICE physical control, potentially with continuing immigration proceedings or conditions.
- Detainer
- An immigration-related request or notice that can affect what happens when another custodian would otherwise release a person.
- Transfer
- A move from one custodian to another, not release into the community.
Read the local and federal records in sequence. A county jail release code may describe the local transfer. ODLS may later show ICE custody or a recent release. The immigration court or other federal record provides legal context beyond the locator's short status.
Note: An ICE release can end federal detention while immigration proceedings or conditions continue under a separate legal record.
ICE Versus Other Release Systems
ICE, BOP, USMS, DPSCS, Maryland VINE, and Worcester County Jail are not interchangeable. BOP's locator covers federal prison records and can retain a Released or Not in BOP Custody result. USMS manages federal pretrial detention and transport but has no general released-person locator like BOP. DPSCS covers Maryland corrections, while VINE relays participating Maryland custody events.
| System | Best release question |
|---|---|
| ICE ODLS | Current ICE detention or an ICE release within the recent federal window |
| BOP locator | Federal prison custody and retained federal release results |
| USMS and federal docket | Federal pretrial detention, transport, and court release orders |
| DPSCS locator | Current covered Maryland corrections placement, not past discharge |
| Worcester County Jail | Local departure, transfer, release type, and county record request |
A person can appear in more than one chain over time. Keep each event labeled with its custodian and date. “Released from Worcester County Jail” and “released from ICE” may both be accurate statements about separate events, while neither alone explains the full case.
No ICE Release Result
An ODLS no-result does not prove that ICE never held the person or that the person is now free from custody. The 60-day released-person period may have passed. Search inputs may not match, the person may be excluded from public display, processing may lag, or another federal, state, or local custodian may apply.
Check the exact A-number formatting and country of birth. Try the biographical route only with correct private details. Then call DRIL. For the local chain, seek the Worcester County Jail release or transfer record and read the criminal docket. For federal prison custody, use BOP. For federal pretrial detention, use the federal court record and appropriate USMS route.
If the former ICE event is older than the public window, preserve any federal case or alien-file reference already held lawfully and ask ICE which official record route applies. Do not replace an expired federal result with an unofficial custody claim.
Note: Verify federal contact hours and locator instructions on the live ICE pages because system scope and agency procedures can change.