Federal Detainee Release Destinations
An ICE detention exit can mean release into the community, removal from the United States, transfer to another ICE site, or handoff to another authority. A USMS move can mean transport between partner jails, appearance in court, transfer to BOP after sentencing, or release under a federal order. The agency label and event type control the meaning. Neither system should be treated as an extension of the Pennington County Jail roster.
No dedicated ICE detention center or USMS-owned facility was identified in Pennington County. USMS states that it owns no detention facilities and relies on local, state, BOP, and private partners. ICE also operates through a detention network beyond county lines. A person can leave Pennington County Corrections and still be detained. The Sheriff's public transfer fields should name the receiving agency or person and supply the handoff time and legal basis.
Search ICE Detainee Releases
The ICE Online Detainee Locator provides two search methods. The first uses the exact nine-digit A-number and country of birth. Add leading zeroes if the A-number has fewer than nine digits. The second uses exact first and last name plus country of birth, with date of birth optional. People younger than 18 are excluded from the public system.
- Use the A-number route when the identifier is known.
- Enter all nine digits and the correct country of birth.
- Otherwise use the exact biographical name.
- Add date of birth to narrow a name match.
- Read the displayed facility or release information.
- Save the query details and time checked.
- Call the information line when the online result needs routing.
ICE says the locator includes people currently detained and those released from ICE custody during the preceding 60 days. That short horizon is a key limit. A missing result after 60 days is not a historical finding and cannot prove that ICE never held or released the person.
ICE Release Search Fields
The ICE locator requires exact identity data because its population and rules differ from county and state corrections. An A-number is the strongest public search key. Country of birth is required with either route. The biographical route is more sensitive to spelling, spacing, and name order. Preserve the exact entry used before deciding that no result exists.
| ICE search item | How it works |
|---|---|
| A-number | Exact nine digits, padded with leading zeroes if needed |
| Country of birth | Required with both locator routes |
| First and last name | Exact biographical search when no A-number is known |
| Date of birth | Optional field that can narrow name results |
| Age boundary | People under 18 are excluded |
| Release horizon | Recent ICE releases remain searchable for 60 days |
An ICE release result concerns immigration custody only. It does not establish the end of a federal criminal case, state supervision, or a local warrant. Likewise, “no result” may reflect the time limit, name variation, incorrect country of birth, or custody with a different agency.
Note: The locator's 60-day release coverage is not a permanent ICE history and should never be described as one.
ICE Release Information Contact
The ICE Detention Reporting and Information Line supplies basic case information and can help route questions that the public locator does not resolve. Have the A-number, full name, date of birth, country of birth, and last known facility ready. The line does not replace a formal records process, but it can identify the proper next contact.
ICE Detention Reporting and Information Line
Phone: 1-888-351-4024
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. Eastern
There is no local Pennington ICE facility contact because no dedicated center was identified in the county. Use the actual facility displayed by ICE or named in the Sheriff transfer record. Before travel, confirm the location and its public procedures. Detention sites can be far from the county where the original arrest or booking occurred.
U.S. Marshals Custody Search
USMS has no public individual detainee locator. The practical route starts with the known partner facility and federal court docket. If Pennington Sheriff records show a handoff to U.S. Marshals, ask whether the response identifies the receiving person, transport destination, or federal case. A partner jail may maintain its own current roster and release record, subject to its law and policy.
The USMS custody and detention description explains that the agency houses people through partners. After federal sentencing, a person may enter BOP. Before sentencing, a BOP locator result may be absent even while federal custody continues through USMS. That absence is a system boundary, not evidence of release.
Federal court entries can show detention orders, release conditions, remand, transport, sentencing, and commitment. Remand means the court orders custody. A court order should be matched with the holding facility because it may not state the minute of a physical transfer or release.
Federal Marshal Release Records
When the holding facility and docket do not answer a historical question, a targeted USMS Freedom of Information Act request can seek existing agency records. Specify the full name, known identifiers, federal case, date range, Pennington transfer date, and exact record sought. Ask for electronic delivery where available. Privacy and law-enforcement exemptions may limit access.
A broad request for every fact may be slow or hard to process. Focus on a custody or transfer record for a defined period. If BOP later received the person, use the BOP locator and BOP records for that sentenced phase. If ICE received the person, use the ICE locator within its current and recent-release window. Each agency keeps only its part of the history.
- Detainer
- A request or legal notice that another authority seeks custody or notification.
- Partner custody
- USMS detention in a facility owned or run by another entity.
- Removal
- An immigration outcome distinct from release into a local community.
- Remand
- A court order directing that a person be held in custody.
Pennington Federal Transfer Proof
Pennington County release and transfer data is the strongest link between a local booking and federal custody. Minnesota arrest-data law makes the transfer date, time, legal basis, and receiving entity public. Ask the Sheriff's Records Division for those fields under Minn. Stat. §13.82, subdivision 2. Include the booking or SPN number when known.
If the record states release to the community, the county event ended without the named federal transfer. If it states ICE or U.S. Marshals, follow that agency. If it names another county or MNDOC, a federal locator is not the next step. The Pennington County release-record process explains the county request channels and why roster absence alone is weak evidence.
The receiving entity field is especially important when more than one authority has an interest in the person. A court dismissal or time-served order may resolve one case while a detainer leads to a handoff. Do not describe the original county booking as a community release when the transfer field says otherwise.
Note: Ask for both release and transfer fields so the response does not hide the difference between an exit and continued custody.
Confirm Federal Detainee Release
Use a three-part check. First, confirm the Pennington event through Sheriff data. Second, search the federal system that received the person. Third, check the federal docket or partner facility for the next step. This sequence keeps local release, federal transfer, immigration detention, criminal detention, and later community release from blending together.
For ICE, state that the locator shows current detention, a recent release, or no result within its limits. For USMS, name the partner facility or docket event because there is no public person locator. For a later BOP sentence, report the BOP status separately. A sound conclusion may read: “Pennington records show transfer to ICE; ICE reports release within its recent window,” or “Pennington records show transfer to USMS; the federal docket identifies the partner custody order.”
No official source establishes a dedicated Pennington County ICE contract or USMS detention center. Avoid naming a local site without a person-specific record. The network, not a county facility, is the subject of this page.
When ICE returns no match, test the exact A-number and country of birth before drawing any inference. A biographical search can fail because of spelling or name order. The person may also be outside the recent-release period or held by another authority. When USMS is involved, the lack of a locator is expected. Follow the partner facility and docket instead. These limits are part of an accurate result, not gaps that should be filled with assumptions.