Immigration Agencies
On this page, you can find information on how to handle situations with some of the most common agencies that deal with immigration. If you are having an immigration problem and need legal help, visit our Immigration Legal Services page.
You can also reach out to your members of Congress for help dealing with problems with federal agencies, including immigration agencies. To find out who your members of Congress are, visit the Find Your Members page on Congress.gov and enter your address in the search box.
United States Citizenship
and Immigration Services (USCIS )
Find out how to get information about your case with USCIS.
Immigration Court /
Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR)
Get important information on how to handle your case in immigration court,.
Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Find out what to do if you or someone you know has had contact with ICE.
If you have a case with USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services)
USCIS is part of the Department of Homeland Security. USCIS oversees lawful immigration in the United States, which includes processing immigration applications and holding immigration interviews at its offices.
- USCIS Contact Center: 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833); Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm EST
- Provides several ways for you to get information about your case, including online tools and how to get in-person help.
- Helpful USCIS Links
- Case Status— uscis.gov/casestatus
- Processing Times— uscis.gov/processingtimes
- Case Questions—If your case is outside normal processing times, you didn't receive a document in the mail, need to fix a typographic error in a case, or if you need an accommodation for an appointment, please visit uscis.gov/e-request.
- Other Online Tools
- Check out all online tools at uscis.gov/tools.
- Also see the USCIS Online Tools flyer
- The ICE website contains information on all immigration detention facilities. Search by state to locate the facilities near you.
- Multilingual Resource Center - Offers information in several languages on a variety of topics such as citizenship, green cards, employee verification, biometrics, how to report fraud and avoid immigration scams, and humanitarian programs.
If you have a case in Immigration Court (Executive Office for Immigration Review)
The official name of the immigration court is the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). EOIR is part of the Department of Justice.
If you have a case in immigration court, it is very important that you:
- Know when your next hearing date is, and show up at every hearing .
- If you do not appear at your hearing, the immigration judge can order you deported in your absence. If you need legal advice or an attorney to represent you in your case, please see our Immigration Legal Services page. See below for information on how to find out when your next hearing date is.
- Change your address with the Immigration Court every time you move.
To find out when your next hearing date is and other information about your case:
- Visit the EOIR (Executive Office for Immigration Review) Case Status Website (English) (Español) or call: 1-800-898-7180 (TDD 800-828-1120).
- You will need to enter your Alien Registration Number, which is a number found on all your Immigration documents and that begins with the letter “A” and has 9 numbers.
- The information provided is automated. To speak with someone at an immigration court, see the immigration court listings below for the phone numbers of all the courts in the U.S.
For information on Immigration Court locations:
- Immigration Court Listings - Contains information, including addresses and phone numbers, for all immigration courts throughout the United States.
- Immigration Court Operational Status - Find out about any changes of procedures or status due to COVID-19, status of hearings and closures, etc.
- EOIR Self-Help Materials
- EOIR's Immigration Court Online Resource (also available in Spanish, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, and Punjabi)
- Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project's Immigration Court FAQs (English) (Español)
- Although the website is geared toward asylum seekers, the general information about immigration court is the same for all types of cases.
- Community Education Materials:
5 Things to Know About Your Case in Immigration Court (English - PDF) (Español - PDF)
How to Check Your Case Status in Immigration Court (English - PDF) (Español - PDF)
5 Things to Know About Your First Hearing in Immigration Court (English - PDF) (Español - PDF)
5 Thing to Know if You Missed Your Immigration Court Hearing (English - PDF) (Español - PDF)
5 Things to Do When You Move (English - PDF) (Español - PDF)
If You Have Had Contact With ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
ICE is part of the Department of Homeland Security, and is responsible for trying to remove immigrants who do not have legal status in the U.S. If someone is picked up by ICE, sometimes they have to stay in an immigration detention facility while they fight their immigration case. Some people are allowed to go home while their deportation case is pending. Sometimes they are ordered to “check in” with ICE regularly. These are called “ICE Check-Ins.”
For information on how to protect your rights if you encounter ICE, visit our Know Your Rights page. For information on how you and your family can be prepared for a possible detention or deportation, visit our Family Preparedness page. For information on what to do after you or someone you know has encountered ICE, see below.
Do you want to report an ICE raid or have an ICE emergency?
To report ICE activity (such as an immigration raid) and get help:
- Sanctuary DMV: 202-335-1183 (7 days a week)
- In case of an ICE raid or emergency, call the Support Hotline number above. Sanctuary DMV’s volunteers act as rapid responders to ICE raids. This means showing up when ICE shows up, documenting what happens, and offering support to immigrants who are targeted. The goals are to minimize ICE abuse, and help connect targeted people with legal and other assistance.
- United We Dream
- MigraWatch Hotline: 1-844-363-1423 - Call to report ICE activity and get information on a loved one who has been detained.
- If you are at risk of being picked up by ICE, download the Notifica App ahead of time so you can notify your loved ones in case you are picked up by ICE.
Do you know someone who has been detained by ICE?
To locate someone in ICE detention:
- Use the Online Detainee Locator System (ODLS)
- Try to have your loved one’s Alien Registration Number, which appears on all immigration paperwork, and starts with the letter “A” and is followed by 9 numbers.
- The ICE website has flyers which explain how to use the Online Detainee Locator System (ODLS) in many different languages.
- The ICE website contains information on all immigration detention facilities. Search by state to locate the facilities near you.
- You can also try calling your local ICE office:
- Baltimore Field Office: 410-637-4000
31 Hopkins Plaza, 6th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21201
Email: [email protected] - Washington Field Office: 703-633-2100
14797 Murdock Street, Chantilly, VA 20151
Email: [email protected]
- Baltimore Field Office: 410-637-4000
Legal Assistance:
- Amica Center for Immigrant Rights (formerly CAIR Coalition): 202-331-3329
Provides legal assistance to individuals in immigration detention. - See Immigration Legal Services page for additional information on immigration legal services. Note: Not all attorneys provide representation to immigrants in detention. You should specifically mention that your loved one is detained when inquiring about legal representation.
To file a complaint or request ICE’s review of a case (eg, if there is a family separation issue):
- For family separation issues, families, attorneys, and social service providers can contact ICE Field Offices or complete this form.
- If no response, call the ICE ERO (Enforcement and Removal Operations) Detention Reporting and Information Line: 1-888-351-4024 (Monday-Friday, 8am-8pm EST)
- Live operators will help address reports about abuse and mental health issues of immigrants in detention, separation of a child from their parent and other parental issues, and other problems the person in detention is facing. Language assistance, including Spanish operators, is also available. See website for more ways to request case review.
Are you required to have ICE Check-Ins?
For information on ICE Check-Ins, including how to schedule an appointment:
- Visit the ICE Check-In website, or
- Talk to an in-person representative by contacting the ICE Victims Engagement and Services Line at: 1-833-383-1465 or ice.gov/vesl.
Do you want a trained group of volunteers to go with you to an ICE check-in or immigration court?
- Sanctuary DMV has a team of trained volunteers that can go with you or your loved one to immigration or court appointments, hearings, and ICE check-ins. These volunteers provide support and act as witnesses. In an emergency, or if an individual is detained, volunteers can relay the information to the family and/or friends. (Volunteers cannot provide legal counsel and do not legally represent those they accompany.
- If you would like to connect with accompaniment support, please call Support Hotline at 202-335-1183.
- Llame a 202-335-1183 si quiere que un grupo de voluntarios capacitados le acompañen a un ICE check-in o a un tribunal de immigración.