{"id":42417,"date":"2026-05-11T07:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T14:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=42417"},"modified":"2026-05-11T09:01:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T16:01:39","slug":"what-to-do-if-someone-you-know-in-philadelphia-or-elsewhere-is-detained-by-ice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/what-to-do-if-someone-you-know-in-philadelphia-or-elsewhere-is-detained-by-ice\/","title":{"rendered":"What to do if someone you know in Philadelphia or elsewhere is detained by ICE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Jennifer J. Lee<\/a>, Temple University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If someone you know is detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, it can be incredibly challenging to find and communicate with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, it can take several days<\/a> just to confirm where they are. Even after locating a loved one, it is possible to lose track of them again, as ICE regularly moves people<\/a> between facilities without notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m a law professor at Temple University in Philadelphia, where I work with immigrant rights organizations<\/a> on issues of ICE arrest and detention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what we know about how and where ICE is holding people as of May 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A confusing web of detention facilities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When a person is arrested by ICE, the lack of a centralized immigration detention system makes it hard to figure out where they are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For ICE detention, the federal government can contract with counties for county jail space or to execute service agreements with private prison companies. ICE also contracts with the Federal Bureau of Prisons to hold immigrants in their facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pennsylvania is no exception to this patchwork system. Four county jails \u2013 in Pike<\/a>, Clinton<\/a>, Cambria<\/a> and Franklin<\/a> counties \u2013 have contracts with the federal government to detain immigrants for ICE. Pike County, for example, received US$16 million from ICE in 2024 and 2025<\/a> for use of its jail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further, ICE contracts with Centre County<\/a> so the county can serve as a pass-through for payment to the private prison company, the Geo Group<\/a>, which runs the Moshannon Valley Processing Center<\/a>. Moshannon is the largest detention center in the Northeast<\/a> with 1,876 beds. This pass-through system allows the federal government to avoid the burdensome Federal Acquisition System<\/a> for contractors. That purchasing system is governed by uniform policies that apply to all federal agencies that enter into contracts for services to ensure that business is conducted with integrity, fairness and transparency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ICE pays millions of dollars each month<\/a> to operate the Moshannon Valley facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most recently, ICE set up contracts with two Bureau of Prison facilities in Pennsylvania to hold immigrants: the federal detention center in Philadelphia<\/a> and the federal prison FCI Lewisburg<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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