How to send money to someone in ICE detention
Every ICE detention center has its own way to put money on a detained person’s account, so start with that facility’s page on ice.gov. Most use a payment company you can pay online, by phone or at a kiosk, and many also accept money orders by mail. You will need their full name exactly as ICE has it, their A-number, and the facility. Phone calls usually run on a separate account.
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.
Step 1: confirm where they are
Money follows the facility’s system, so the facility comes first. Look them up in the ICE detainee locator by A-number and country of birth, and write down the facility name. If they were just arrested they may not appear yet. See how to find someone in ICE detention.
Step 2: find the facility’s instructions
Open the facility on ICE’s detention facility list. Each facility page has its own rules for money, mail and visits. Look for sections called commissary, detainee funds, or sending money. Many ICE detainees are held in county jails or privately run centers, and the instructions may send you to that operator’s website. Follow the facility’s own instructions over anything a payment company says in general.
Step 3: pay the way that facility accepts
- Online, by phone or at a kiosk through the facility’s payment company. Common ones include Access Corrections, JPay, TouchPay, ViaPath (formerly GTL), Securus and Western Union’s corrections service. Fees are charged per deposit.
- Money order or cashier’s check by mail, made out exactly as the facility says, usually to the person by name with their A-number or facility ID. Cash and personal checks are not accepted. Do not put letters or photos in the same envelope. ICE’s own instructions for some facilities say they will not be forwarded.
- In person at a lobby kiosk, at some facilities.
You will need the person’s full legal name exactly as ICE recorded it, including both surnames if they used both, their nine-digit A-number, and the facility. Your own name and address go on the deposit.
Phone calls are a separate account
Detained people can usually call out but not receive calls, and calls are paid. Most facilities use one phone company, and families either set up a prepaid account tied to their own number or fund the person’s phone account. Check the facility page for the provider. Assume ordinary calls are recorded. Do not discuss the details of the case on them.
What the money is for
The account pays for commissary (extra food, hygiene items, stamps, writing paper), phone time, and sometimes tablet messaging. Facilities set weekly spending limits. A modest regular deposit usually goes further than one large one.
Transfers and release
If ICE moves the person, the balance should follow them or be paid out, but it can lag. Release often comes with the balance on a prepaid debit card or a check. Keep every receipt and confirmation number, and if money goes missing, give those to the facility.
Scams to watch for
- Nobody legitimate asks you to wire money to an individual, or pay in gift cards or crypto, to “put money on their books” or to get them out.
- Commissary deposits and bond are different things. A commissary deposit never counts toward a bond. Bond is paid to ICE through its own process. See how to pay an immigration bond.
- Use only the companies named on the facility’s own page.
Questions people also ask
How do I put money on an ICE detainee’s account?
Find the facility on ICE’s detention facility list and follow the money or commissary instructions on its page. Most facilities use a payment company online or by phone, and many take money orders by mail. Use the person’s full name and A-number exactly as ICE has them.
Can I send cash to someone in ICE detention?
No. Facilities do not accept cash or personal checks by mail. Use the facility’s payment company or a money order made out the way the facility’s instructions say.
Is money for phone calls separate from commissary?
Usually, yes. Phone time is typically bought through the facility’s phone provider, in an account tied to the person or to your phone number. Check which company the facility uses.
What happens to the money if they are transferred or released?
Facilities generally transfer the balance with the person or return it at release, often on a debit card or by check. Ask the facility, and keep your receipts.
While you are helping them inside, check the way out
Check your family member’s situation to see which release options may apply, what to do next, and which documents to gather.