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Resources Safety and your rights

If you or someone close to you is detained

How to find a detained person, where to get a lawyer, who helps with bond, and what to prepare in advance.

This is general information, not legal advice: QARAVAN has no lawyers. QARAVAN does not help anyone enter the US and cannot arrange visas, invitations, sponsorship or evacuation. For your own case, talk to a licensed immigration attorney or a representative accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice.

ICE detains people on immigration grounds. That is not the same as an NYPD arrest in a criminal case: the rules and the lawyers differ.

The government gives no lawyer to people facing deportation, but New York City has programs that find free lawyers for some detained people.

This is general information, not legal advice; QARAVAN has no lawyers.

Start here

  • Find the person at locator.ice.gov by country of birth and A-number, or by country of birth, first and last name and date of birth.
  • Fill in the form at on.nyc.gov/rrlc (Rapid Response Legal Collaborative, the City's rapid legal help program) or contact the free City MOIA line at 1-800-354-0365, which has Russian speakers.
  • If the person already had a removal order or is being moved outside New York and New Jersey, find a lawyer at once: they could be removed quickly.

  1. Find the A-number

    An A-number is 8 or 9 digits after the letter A, for example A 000-000-000. It is on most of the person's immigration papers and on their wristband in detention. If you don't have it, ask the person when they call.

  2. Open locator.ice.gov

    Enter the country of birth and A-number, or country of birth, first and last name and date of birth. Spell the name exactly, or the system won't find the person.

  3. Write down what witnesses saw

    If you or someone else saw the arrest, write down everything you remember: when, where, who was there, what they did and said. Collect photos and other proof and give them to a lawyer.

  4. Understand where the person may be

    First the person is processed at the ICE office in Manhattan, usually for about a day. Then they are moved to a detention center, most often in New York or New Jersey, sometimes in another state. Centers can be in a jail or a federal building. In September 2026 federal Judge Lewis Kaplan permanently capped the number of people held in the 10th-floor cells at 26 Federal Plaza and ordered ICE to meet basic conditions there, including access to lawyers.

  5. Get legal help right away

    Don't wait: fill in the RRLC form or contact the City's MOIA line (1-800-354-0365): free, confidential, Russian available.

  1. If the program doesn't fit

    NYIFUP gives free lawyers to detained people at their first hearing in the case; a lawyer may be assigned soon after the first master calendar hearing. People with a removal order or no court case may not qualify; then contact the City's MOIA line (1-800-354-0365, Russian available).

  • The Bronx Defenders

    NYC residentsFree

    One of the three NYIFUP organizations. You don’t need to call: the program itself assigns the lawyer.

    bronxdefenders.org360 East 161st Street, Bronx, NY 10451

  • The Legal Aid Society

    NYC residentsFree

    One of the three NYIFUP organizations. You don’t need to call: the program itself assigns the lawyer.

    legalaidnyc.org199 Water Street, New York, NY 10038

  • Brooklyn Defender Services

    NYC residentsFree

    One of the three NYIFUP organizations. You don’t need to call: the program itself assigns the lawyer.

    bds.org177 Livingston Street, #7, Brooklyn, NY 11201

  • MOIA Immigration Legal Support Hotline

    NYC residentsFree

    A free, confidential City line with Russian: it answers questions and tells you where to find a lawyer, but doesn't book appointments. New Yorkers with income below 200% of the federal poverty level can get legal help.

    800-354-0365nyc.govMon and Wed 9 am–8 pm, Tue, Thu, Fri 9 am–6 pm, last Saturday of the month 9 am–5 pm

  • New Americans Hotline (New York State)

    Any statusFree

    New York State's line for new Americans: anonymous, over 200 languages: say “Russian”. It answers immigration questions, refers people to free lawyers, detained people included, and takes fraud reports.

    1-800-566-7636dos.ny.govMon–Fri 8 am–8 pm, Sat–Sun 9 am–5 pm

  • Immigration Equality

    Any status

    A legal organization for LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV. The detention line is in English and takes calls only from detention centers: Mon and Wed 9:30 am–5:30 pm, Tue 11 am–5:30 pm. People who are free use the confidential form on the website, which is introduced in Russian too; replies can be slow because demand is high.

    (917) 654-9696 (detention hotline)immigrationequality.org

  1. Know what a bond is

    Immigration bond is money paid to the US government to release a person until the case ends. The person promises to follow the release conditions, including the judge's orders.

  2. Find out if a bond hearing is possible

    Not everyone gets bond. At a bond hearing the judge decides whether the person can be released if they or someone they trust pays. If no hearing is allowed, there are other ways to challenge detention, but they need an experienced lawyer.

  3. Ask about mandatory detention

    According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS), on July 8, 2025 ICE issued interim guidance that people in the US without admission are subject to mandatory detention, with no bond hearing. On September 5, 2025 the Board of Immigration Appeals in Matter of Yajure Hurtado held that immigration judges may not hold bond hearings for them. In a note of September 17, 2026, CRS says the Second Circuit (the appeals court covering New York) and eight other federal appeals courts rejected this reading, while the Fifth and Eighth Circuits accepted it. On October 1, 2026 the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Second Circuit case (Rhoney v. Barbosa da Cunha, No. 26-104); briefs are due by January 2027, so the question is open. Ask a lawyer about a habeas petition in federal court.

  4. Understand how long it may last

    The person stays detained until the case ends or a judge grants bond. How long that takes can't be known in advance.

  5. Find out who may pay the bond

    Bond is paid through ICE's online CeBONDS system (ice.gov/bonds) by transfer from a bank account. It may be paid by a US citizen, a green card holder, a law firm or a nonprofit; proof of citizenship or the green card is required. If you don't have that status, ask a citizen or green card holder, or a fund, to pay it.

  6. If you cannot afford the bond

    If bond is granted and there is no money, nonprofit immigrant funds may pay all or part of it. Help is not guaranteed.

  7. Contact the fund that fits

    Envision Freedom Fund in New York takes applications through its website form, and LGBTQ Freedom Fund pays bond in every state, first of all for LGBTQ+ people and migrants.

  • Envision Freedom Fund

    Any status

    Apply for immigration bond help through the website form. People in immigration detention have a separate line in English: Tue and Thu 3–5 pm Eastern time. The fund warns that it never charges fees, never asks to be paid back and never asks for transfers by Western Union, MoneyGram, Ria or Zelle. Anyone asking you to pay that way in its name is a scammer.

    718-717-2007 (line for people in immigration detention)envisionfreedom.orgdetention line Tue and Thu 3–5 pm Eastern time

  • The LGBTQ Freedom Fund

    Any status

    Pays immigration bond in all states, first of all for LGBTQ+ people and migrants. Email: info@lgbtqfund.org.

    lgbtqfund.org

  1. Find the facility in the ICE directory

    Find the center at ice.gov/detention-facilities and read the ID and screening rules.

  2. Get on the visitor list

    You must be on the detained person's visitor list and come only on the days and hours the center sets.

  3. Think about your own case

    If you fear your own status makes a visit risky, talk to a lawyer first.

  • ICE detention facility directory

    Any status

    Addresses, phone numbers and visiting rules of detention centers.

    ice.gov

  1. Find the date of the first hearing

    Enter the A-number at acis.eoir.justice.gov to see the next hearing date.

  2. Check old decisions

    If the person is in the system but has no hearing date, check past decisions. If it says “ordered removal”, there will be no new hearing: contact a lawyer immediately.

  3. Check whether there is a removal order

    A removal order is a document in which an immigration judge or immigration authorities order a noncitizen to leave the US. You can check for one at on.nyc.gov/eoir.

  4. Gather the papers from earlier cases

    If the person was ordered to leave before, gather all papers from that case: a lawyer will need them at once.

  1. Choose an emergency contact

    A family member, friend, community member or lawyer. Memorize the number instead of relying on your phone's contacts, and keep the lawyer's or trusted person's number in your wallet.

  2. Give them your A-number

    Without your A-number you are hard to find in the system. Leave it with someone you trust along with your court date and place.

  3. Keep documents in a safe place

    Keep documents where your emergency contact can reach them. Make paper copies and photos or scans of your passport, EAD, USCIS receipts and court notices. Keep digital copies somewhere secure, such as a password-protected email, and give a copy to someone you trust.

  4. Collect proof that you have been in the U.S. over two years

    If you entered without inspection and without parole, keep leases, rent receipts, bills, medical and bank records, work letters, tax returns and mail with your name and address: they prove how long you have lived here.

  5. Talk about the care of your children

    Update the emergency contact at your child's school and decide who will make decisions for your child if you are detained.

  6. Learn the key phrases in advance

    Learn “I want to remain silent and speak to a lawyer” and “I am afraid to return to my country”.

  1. Talk to a lawyer before you choose

    There are three ways, and you can combine them; two need no court. A lawyer can tell you what fits your family.

  2. Details of the forms

    Form OCFS-4940 is available in many languages: find it on the OCFS website by the number 4940; instructions are inside. With a standby guardian the parent keeps all rights and can revoke the designation.

Ways to name a person who will look after your child

Is a court neededWhat to do
An emergency contact at school (the Blue Card)NoUpdate the emergency contact information at your child’s school (in a New York City public school this is the Blue Card)
Designating a person in parental relationshipNoFill in the form OCFS-4940 of the State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS); it can be done right away
A standby guardianYes, you must go to courtSign a Designation of Standby Guardian form with two adult witnesses and file a petition in Surrogate’s Court or Family Court (State courts that grant guardianship); a judge must approve it before the arrest, detention or deportation

  • Family Legal Care

    Any status

    An organization on the City's list of family resources. It helps parents and caregivers without a lawyer navigate New York family court. You can send a family court question in writing through the secure form: familylegalcare.org/secure-email; they answer within three business days. The website is available in Russian.

    familylegalcare.org

  • Resources for Immigrant Parents and Caregivers (a MOIA flyer)

    Any statusFree

    A MOIA flyer on preparing for possible separation from your children, available in Russian. The City's MOIA line can also help with a standby guardian.

    nyc.gov

  • A MOIA form for people at risk of detention

    Any statusFree

    MOIA's Know Your Rights page has a form for people at risk of detention and those already detained to get support.

    nyc.gov

  • Standby guardian on the New York courts website

    Any status

    The court system’s explanation of what a standby guardian is, how to sign the form with two adult witnesses and where to file the petition.

    nycourts.gov

ICE
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; it detains people on immigration grounds.
A-number
An 8- or 9-digit number after the letter A that the government gave you; it is used to find a person in the detainee system and to look up hearing dates.
locator.ice.gov
The online detainee search on the ICE website.
RRLC
Rapid Response Legal Collaborative, a City program of urgent legal help for detained people and those at risk of detention.
NYIFUP
New York Immigrant Family Unity Project, a City program of free lawyers for detained New York City residents with a case in immigration court.
MOIA
The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, the City government’s office for immigrants.
Federal Poverty Level (FPL)
An income level below which a family counts as low-income under federal rules; City programs require income below 200 percent of it.
Bond
Money paid to the U.S. government so that a person is released until the immigration case ends.
Removal order
A document in which an immigration judge or immigration authorities order a non-citizen to leave the U.S.
Standby guardian
A person a parent names in advance to care for the child and make decisions for the child if the parent is arrested, detained or deported.
OCFS
The Office of Children and Family Services, the New York State agency for children and families.
Removal proceedings
The case in immigration court in which a judge decides whether a person must leave the U.S.
Mandatory detention
Detention during the immigration case with no bond hearing.
Habeas petition
A request to a federal court to decide whether a person’s detention is lawful.

All pages: Safety and your rights

Sources, checked November 2026