The Montgomery Processing Center is operated by a private company, GEO Group. It is part of an intergovernmental service agreement under which ICE pays the company to house federal detainees.
During the last 12 months, 5,332 detainees were housed at this facility. Of those, 81 percent left ICE custody because they were deported or voluntarily left. Those who were transferred to other facilities made up the remainder.
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ICE Online Detainee Locator System (ODLS)
The ICE Online Detainee Locator System (ODLS) is an important lifeline for detained immigrants and their families. But the system is often slow to update, and it’s vulnerable to data entry mishaps and other technical glitches.
Attorneys and others who spoke with the Web Integrity Project described a number of problems with ODLS. Some of the issues attorneys and family members reported were related to data input, while others involved more mundane technical challenges.
For instance, attorneys and others reported that entering the name of a person in the biographical information section of ODLS sometimes returned incorrect results. They also reported that some people’s A-numbers were misreported, causing confusion about where they were being held.
Another problem that some attorneys experienced is with the system’s “captcha.” This is a type of security check that the system uses to prevent automated queries. It takes the form of a simple arithmetic problem, which can sometimes be difficult to resolve.
Legal Representation
Many people require legal representation to obtain justice, whether for personal or professional matters. Having a lawyer can make all the difference in your situation, whether it is for a criminal trial, a minor matter such as a divorce, or even corporate or real estate issues.
The Montgomery Volunteer Lawyer’s Program (MVLP) provides free legal assistance to low-income residents in Montgomery County, Maryland. MVLP is an initiative of the Montgomery County Bar Association, which aims to ensure that all citizens have access to legal aid.
MVLP is a collaboration of several organizations that work together to provide high-quality legal assistance to those in need. MVLP is committed to the principles of collective resistance, which means that each partner values the importance of building community and communicating with one another throughout the legal process.
Searching for a Detained Immigrant
If you suspect that a loved one is detained at the Montgomery Processing Center, there are several ways to find out. You can use the ICE Online Detainee Locator System, contact a lawyer, or contact an organization that specializes in detained immigration cases.
ODLS is an online database that tracks the whereabouts of adult detainees within ICE custody. This search tool is available to anyone, but it requires a secure internet source and some personal information about the person you want to track down.
You can search by the name and country of birth of a detained immigrant. You can also search by the person’s A-Number, which is usually 8 or 9 digits long.
According to ICE data, 66 percent of detainees at the Montgomery Processing Center left because they were deported, which is higher than the national average. In addition, detainees released on bond and those ordered to be monitored or supervised were much less likely to leave than the national average.
Getting Help
Many families and friends of detainees at the Montgomery processing center may not know where to turn. Fortunately, there are resources available to help.
The ICE Online Detainee Locator System (ODLS) is an excellent tool to use when trying to locate a family member or friend. Simply input the last name of the detainee and their alien registration number to get a list of results.
Additionally, ODLS can be used to find out the location of a detainee who is being held at other ICE facilities. You can also find the phone number for an ICE ERO bond acceptance office.
During the most recent 12 month period, 81 percent of the detainees housed at the Montgomery processing center left ICE detention because they were deported. This is higher than the national percentage for formally deported or “voluntary” departed individuals (66 percent). Other reasons that detainees left ICE custody included being released on bond, on orders of recognizance or supervision while their cases were pending, or being paroled into the community.