Eloy Detention Center: a family's guide

This is information, not legal advice.

This guide explains the general rules. What they mean for your family member depends on their circumstances. Answer a few questions to check their situation.

The basics

• Address: 1705 E. Hanna Road, Eloy, AZ 85131. Visitor parking is on site.
• Information line: (520) 464-3000, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Main line: (520) 466-4141.
• Operator: CoreCivic, under contract with ICE. ICE’s Phoenix Field Office, at (602) 257-5900, is responsible for the people held there.
• Immigration court: Eloy Immigration Court, inside the facility.
• Federal court for habeas: the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.
• Federal circuit: the Ninth.

Confirm someone is there with the ICE detainee locator. That is the “Eloy inmate search” for people in ICE custody.

Contacting someone held there

• People held at Eloy cannot receive calls. For an urgent message, call (520) 466-4141 with their full name, A-number and your callback number.
• Messages that are not confidential go through the facility tablets, at gettingout.com.
• Lawyers send legal mail to vavedc@corecivic.com or by fax to (520) 466-7750, marked “legal correspondence.”

Visiting

• Saturday for men and Sunday for women, in blocks by housing level: 7:30 to 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and 3:30 to 5 p.m. for segregation units. Confirm the block for your person on ICE’s Eloy page.
• Family visits are contact visits. Up to four visitors at once, and each visitor can see only one person per day.
• ID: a valid, verifiable government-issued photo ID for every adult. Minors must come with an adult.
• No phones or electronics in secure areas, and nothing can be passed to the person. Visitors are searched.
• Visiting means passing through an ICE facility’s security with ID. Family members without status should weigh that, and can use messages instead.

Mail, money and packages

Address letters with the full A-number:

[Full name], A-[full nine-digit A-number]
CoreCivic – Eloy Detention Center
1705 E. Hanna Road
Eloy, AZ 85131

• Put your own name and return address on the envelope. Mail is screened for contraband, not read.
• Money: money orders or cashier’s checks by mail are credited with a receipt. Never send cash. CoreCivic lists its current electronic deposit options on its Eloy page. See how to send money to someone in ICE detention.
• Packages: write first to the Chief of Security at the facility address and wait for approval.

Bond and release from Eloy

• Bond hearings are available to most people. The Ninth Circuit rejected ICE’s policy of denying bond hearings to people who entered without inspection. The exceptions are mandatory detention and final orders. See did ICE end bond hearings?
• Where to file: the Eloy Immigration Court, 1705 E. Hanna Road, Suite 366. Window filing runs 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays (EOIR). See a sample motion and the sponsor letter.
• Ability to pay: Ninth Circuit judges must consider it when setting bond. Bring proof of income.
• Paying: through ICE’s CeBONDS system. See how to pay an immigration bond.
• If the judge cannot set bond: a habeas petition goes to the federal court for the District of Arizona. See how to file a habeas petition.

The transfer risk

People held in Arizona are sometimes moved to facilities in Texas or Louisiana. Those states are in the Fifth Circuit, which sided with ICE on the no-bond policy, so a move can take a bond hearing off the table. A habeas petition filed in Arizona before a transfer generally stays in Arizona. Practitioners stress filing first when a move is possible (ACLU / NWIRP advisory). If your family member hears they may be moved, act that day.

Legal help near Eloy

• The Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project works with adults in immigration custody in Arizona, including at Eloy.
• EOIR’s list of pro bono legal service providers covers the Eloy court.
• For the bond itself, see bond funds.

Questions people also ask

What is the phone number for Eloy Detention Center?

For information about someone held there, (520) 464-3000, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For an urgent message, the main line is (520) 466-4141; leave their full name, A-number and your callback number.

What are the visiting hours at Eloy Detention Center?

Family visits are on weekends: men on Saturday and women on Sunday, in time blocks by housing level, from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visits are contact visits, up to four visitors at a time. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID.

How do I send money to someone at Eloy Detention Center?

Money orders or cashier’s checks by mail are credited with a receipt; never send cash. CoreCivic also lists electronic deposit options, and the facility’s tablets use GettingOut. Check CoreCivic’s Eloy page for the current methods.

Which immigration court is at Eloy Detention Center?

The Eloy Immigration Court, 1705 E. Hanna Road, Suite 366, Eloy, AZ 85131. Public hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; window filing 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Can someone at Eloy get a bond hearing?

Usually, yes. Arizona is in the Ninth Circuit, which rejected ICE’s no-bond policy for people who entered without inspection. If they are moved to Texas or Louisiana, that changes: the Fifth Circuit has sided with ICE.

See which ways out are open for them

Check your family member’s situation to see which release options may apply, what to do next, and which documents to gather.