ICE Releases Linked to McLean
ICE operates a federal civil immigration detention system. It is not the McLean County jail, a Kentucky prison, or a local criminal court. No ICE facility was identified in McLean County. The system matters only when the record shows an immigration custody path.
A host-jail entry such as “released to ICE” ends the host jail’s physical control through transfer. It does not mean the person returned to the community. ICE must then supply the next custody status. Only a later ICE record can establish departure from ICE detention. Keep both transactions in sequence and retain each agency’s exact wording.
Search the ICE Detainee Locator
The ICE Online Detainee Locator System, or ODLS, offers two search methods. Both depend on exact information. A failed match can result from spelling, formatting, lag, transfer, security restrictions, or other operational limits.
- Use the A-number route when the identifier is known. Enter exactly nine digits, adding leading zeroes if needed, and supply country of birth.
- Otherwise enter the exact first and last name, country of birth, and date of birth.
- Review the returned detention or recent-release result without changing its label.
- If no result appears, check spelling, alternate name forms, and the identifier, then use the ICE information line.
- Compare the ICE result with the host-jail release sheet or other source that identified the immigration transfer.
ODLS excludes people under 18. A no-result screen alone does not prove release, deportation, absence of detention, or that the person never entered ICE custody.
ICE Locator Fields and Limits
Official guidance says ODLS includes people currently detained by ICE and people released from ICE custody within the preceding 60 days. That is a rolling federal system window, not a McLean County release list and not a permanent history.
| Input or result | What it can establish | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Nine-digit A-number and country | Exact identifier search | Formatting must be correct |
| Name, country, and DOB | Identity search without A-number | Exact-match issues can block a result |
| Current detention result | ICE detention status as displayed | Check live details and agency guidance |
| Recent release result | Departure from ICE within the stated window | Does not supply a permanent history |
| No result | No conclusive finding | Lag, transfer, age, security, and match limits apply |
The 60-day scope belongs only to ICE ODLS. It must not be applied to the host jail, BOP, KOOL, VINE, or the McLean court record.
ICE Records and Contact
Research identified the ODLS and the ICE information line as the verified public routes. It did not identify a McLean ICE release desk, local ICE facility address, visitation policy, or roster. None should be invented.
ICE Information Line
Phone: 1-888-351-4024
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern
Closed: Federal holidays
Online: locator.ice.gov/odls/
Have the exact name, date of birth, country of birth, and A-number if known. State the narrow question. When the concern begins with a local transfer, also have the host-jail booking number and release record available so the two systems are not confused.
About the ICE Detention System
ICE detention is federal civil immigration custody. An immigration detainer and ICE custody are not the same thing. A detainer is a request or notice directed to another custodian. It does not by itself establish that ICE has taken physical custody.
Likewise, an ICE check-in or Alternatives to Detention status is not physical detention. Those community processes should not be described as incarceration. The source must show whether the person is in an ICE detention facility, recently released from ICE, reporting under a noncustodial process, or absent from the locator for an unresolved reason.
- Detainer
- An immigration request or notice affecting another custodian; not proof of present ICE detention.
- Transfer to ICE
- End of one agency’s custody followed by ICE custody or processing.
- A-number
- The immigration identifier used by ODLS in a nine-digit format.
- Recent ICE release
- Departure from ICE detention within the locator’s stated 60-day window.
County Release Versus ICE Release
Two records answer two separate questions. The host jail records when its custody ended and may name ICE as the receiving agency. ODLS or ICE confirmation addresses the federal immigration custody that followed.
| Record | Question answered |
|---|---|
| Host-jail release sheet | When did local custody end, and where was the person sent? |
| McLean court file | What happened in the local criminal case? |
| ICE ODLS | Is the person currently detained or shown as recently released by ICE? |
| ICE information line | Can federal staff clarify a search or route the inquiry? |
| BOP locator | Did federal sentenced prison custody apply instead? |
A local criminal disposition does not decide the separate civil immigration status. Conversely, an ICE result does not supply the McLean court disposition or the county-jail departure timestamp.
No McLean ICE Facility
No ICE detention building, local contract, release lobby, or immigration visitation schedule was verified within McLean County. That negative finding defines the search route. Do not drive to the closed McLean jail expecting an ICE desk, and do not assign a local address to a federal system.
Start with the actual host jail when a McLean arrest led to local confinement. If its record names ICE, move to ODLS and federal contact channels. If the host is unknown, ask the McLean jailer or arresting agency which facility kept the physical custody record.
ICE Locator No-Result Checks
A no-result screen is inconclusive. Confirm that the A-number contains nine digits, including leading zeroes where required. Match country of birth and use the exact legal name and date of birth. Consider whether the person is under 18, outside the recent-release period, affected by a transfer or update lag, or excluded for operational reasons.
Call the information line when the identity details are sound but the result remains absent. Do not replace the missing result with a claim about release or location. Retain the host-jail transfer record and note the date each federal check occurred.
ICE, BOP, and USMS Paths
Federal agencies cover different custody phases. BOP is the public locator for federal sentenced custody. USMS manages many federal pretrial prisoners and lacks a comparable historical release locator. ICE ODLS covers civil immigration detention and a limited recent-release window.
A person can move among systems. Search the one named by the last reliable record. A BOP released status does not exclude ICE custody, and an ICE no-result does not explain a USMS movement. Follow receiving-agency language rather than searching all federal sources as though they were one database.
Verify McLean Immigration Transfers
The McLean County released inmate search begins with the actual host jail because the local jail is closed. Obtain the release sheet, note its destination code, and use ODLS only when ICE is supported by the record. The host facility may be Ohio County Detention Center or another contract jail identified for the episode.
Kentucky VINE and the McLean court file can add local custody and case context, but they do not establish departure from ICE. The federal locator or ICE confirmation supplies that later event. Preserve the distinction between criminal custody, civil immigration detention, and community immigration processes.
ICE Release Date Verification
ODLS describes a recent release within its limited window. It is not a long-term archive and should not be expected to provide the same field history as a host-jail sheet. Save the exact result and check date, then seek the appropriate federal record if a durable or certified account is required.
Never borrow a date from the county transfer to describe ICE release. The first date ends local custody. The later federal event ends ICE detention. If only the first record exists, the ICE departure remains unconfirmed.