Report: ICE Stops Listing Detainees With Final Removal Orders in Online Locator

09/23/2026 / By Douglas Harrington

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement removed detainees subject to final removal orders from its online detainee locator on Sept. 15, according to current and former officials.

The change was not announced publicly, and an agency statement provided to the Associated Press did not confirm or deny it. Attorneys confirmed that clients with final removal orders disappeared from the system after the change. The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) warned its members about the update on Friday, Sept. 18, according to the organization.

The locator had allowed family members and legal representatives to find detained individuals by name or alien registration number since ICE launched the tool in 2010. Federal courts have ruled more than 4,400 times since October that the administration unlawfully detained immigrants, according to a Reuters review of court records ^[1].

Scope and Exceptions

The practice applies to detainees who have received final orders of removal from an immigration court. Immigration judges issued nearly 500,000 removal orders in fiscal year 2025, a significant increase from the previous year, according to Executive Office for Immigration Review data ^[2].

Nearly 16,000 people arrested and booked into ICE detention in July had final removal orders, representing more than one-third of all bookings, according to ICE data obtained by the Deportation Data Project. ICE held more than 65,000 people as of early July, and about 30% likely have final orders, according to Michelle Mendez of the National Immigration Project.

Exceptions to the locator removal include the Adelanto detention facility in California and temporary facilities in Minneapolis, New York City and suburban Chicago, where court orders require prompt listing. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has argued that people with final removal orders have received due process, usually after a hearing or failure to appear.

Lawyers and Families Lose Track

Greg Chen, a representative of the AILA, said families fear deportation and attorneys cannot contact clients. The removal of information has created confusion for those attempting to locate detained individuals.

Chen said: “Families are freaking out because they think the person has been deported and they don’t know where the person might be.” He added that attorneys are unable to reach clients to file legal challenges or provide representation.

ICE awarded a $16.7 million no-bid contract for 6,000 pairs of electric shock gloves, according to a federal notice published in August ^[3]. The agency said officers would use them to control resisting detainees and protesters. Such developments have contributed to concerns about transparency in detention operations.

Legal Options and Challenges

Detainees can seek to reopen their cases or file habeas petitions. Federal judges have ordered release or bond hearings in thousands of cases, though the locator removal complicates these efforts.

A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Monday, Sept. 21, to turn over data in response to claims that it corrupted bond hearings for ICE detainees, according to court records ^[4]. While U.S. District Judge Clay Land described the claims as a “conspiracy,” he said further legal proceedings will show whether the accusations are baseless.

Mendez said, “To me, it’s just another iteration of disappearing people.” DHS said it is prioritizing the removal of detainees with final orders as it faces a “historic number of injunctions.”

Conclusion

ICE started the online locator in 2010. Advocates and lawmakers have said it updates slowly and contains inaccurate or missing information.

Atenas Burrola Estrada said all clients with final orders disappeared from the system. ACLU attorney My Khanh Ngo said difficulty locating clients can make challenges “nearly impossible.”

The ICE statement said final-order detainees are prioritized for deportation amid a “historic number of injunctions.” The agency has not provided further details about the locator change.

References

NaturalNews.com. “Judges rule 4,400+ times that Trump administration illegally detained immigrants”. February 23, 2026.
The National Pulse. “Trump Admin Immigration Judges Have Issued Record 500K Removal Orders”. December 2, 2025.
The Epoch Times. “ICE Awards $16.7 Million No-Bid Contract For 6,000 Pairs Of Electric Shock Gloves”. ZeroHedge. August 28, 2026.
The Epoch Times. “Judge Orders DHS To Submit Internal Documents Over Concerns About ICE Detainees’ Due Process”. ZeroHedge. March 17, 2026.