ICE detention in Nevada runs through two facilities: the Nevada Southern Detention Center in Pahrump, which handles longer stays, and the Henderson Detention Center, which holds people during shorter periods and active proceedings. Both are managed under federal authority even when day-to-day operations are contracted out, and anyone held there can usually be located through ICE’s online system and, in many cases, released on a bond while their immigration case moves forward.
Where ICE Holds People in Nevada
Nevada uses two facilities for immigration detention, both run through intergovernmental service agreements rather than directly by ICE staff.
Nevada Southern Detention Center (Pahrump)
The Nevada Southern Detention Center sits at 2190 East Mesquite Avenue in Pahrump and is the state’s primary long-term immigration detention site. CoreCivic, a private corrections company, operates it under federal contract.1Global Detention Project. Nevada Southern Detention Center People waiting for a hearing before an immigration judge, or waiting to be removed from the country, can spend weeks or months here. CoreCivic staff handle security and daily operations, but detainees remain under the legal authority of the Department of Homeland Security the entire time.
Henderson Detention Center
The Henderson Detention Center at 18 East Basic Road operates through a partnership between the City of Henderson, the U.S. Marshals Service, and ICE.2U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Henderson Detention Center Under a 2021 intergovernmental agreement, it makes 250 beds available for federal detainees at $135 per day. Henderson typically houses people for shorter stretches or while legal proceedings are active.
Federal standards at both facilities cover medical care, access to legal counsel, and communication with family. No matter which one holds a person, the case itself is heard in immigration court, not in a Nevada state court.
Locating Someone in ICE Custody
The fastest way to find someone is ICE’s Online Detainee Locator System at locator.ice.gov. It covers people currently in ICE custody and people held by Customs and Border Protection for more than 48 hours.3U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Online Detainee Locator System
You can search two ways:
- By Alien Registration Number (A-Number), which appears on work permits, green cards, and earlier immigration paperwork. The system requires exactly nine digits, so add leading zeros if the number you have is shorter. You also select the country of birth.
- By name, using first name, last name, date of birth, and country of birth. The name has to match what was recorded at processing exactly, including any hyphen in a last name.
The result tells you the facility and how to contact it. One important limit: unaccompanied minors are placed with the Office of Refugee Resettlement, not ICE, and will not show up in this system. Families looking for a minor should contact ORR directly.4USAGov. Locate Someone Being Detained by ICE for Immigration Violation or Deportation
Getting Out on an Immigration Bond
Not everyone in ICE custody stays locked up through their whole case. If the person is not subject to mandatory detention, they may qualify for release on bond. Federal law sets a $1,500 floor, but in practice judges often set bonds between $5,000 and $25,000, and sometimes higher, based on flight risk and community ties.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1226 – Apprehension and Detention of Aliens
Two types of bonds come up most often. A delivery bond allows release on the condition that the person appears at every future immigration court hearing; a missed hearing forfeits the entire amount to whoever posted it. A voluntary departure bond allows release under an agreement to leave the country by a specific date, and is refunded if the person departs on time.
Who Cannot Get a Bond
Certain people are subject to mandatory detention and are not eligible for any bond. This includes people with aggravated felony convictions, certain drug and firearms offenses, and individuals flagged for national security reasons.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1226 – Apprehension and Detention of Aliens
How to Pay the Bond
The person posting the bond, called the obligor, generally has to be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident at least 18 years old. You’ll need the detainee’s full name, A-Number, the facility where they are held, and the exact bond amount the judge set.
Payment goes through the CeBONDS system online using a Fedwire or ACH bank transfer, or in person at an ERO field office with a cashier’s check or money order made payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Cash and personal checks are not accepted. If you are paying in person at the Las Vegas ERO office at 501 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Suite 200, confirm the hours first because bond processing windows are limited. Keep the Form I-305 receipt you get after paying; it is required to eventually get the money refunded.
Rights During an ICE Encounter
Everyone in the United States has constitutional protections during interactions with immigration officers, regardless of status. The process moves quickly once someone is in custody, and mistakes are hard to walk back.
You have the right to remain silent. You do not have to answer questions about where you were born, your immigration status, or how you entered the country, and anything you say can be used against you in immigration court. You have the right to speak with an attorney before answering questions, though the government will not appoint one in immigration proceedings the way it would in a criminal case.
If ICE officers come to your home, you are not required to open the door. An ICE administrative warrant, signed by an ICE officer, does not authorize entry without your consent. Only a judicial warrant signed by a federal judge does. You can ask officers to slide the warrant under the door so you can check who signed it before deciding what to do.
If you are detained, ask for a bond hearing and to speak with an attorney as soon as possible. Write down the names and badge numbers of any officers involved, and give your A-Number to a trusted family member or friend so they can find you in the locator system.
How Local Arrests Lead to ICE Custody
Many people first enter immigration detention after a local arrest, through two mechanisms.
The 287(g) Program
Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act lets local officers perform certain federal immigration functions after ICE training.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1357 – Powers of Immigration Officers and Employees Under the jail enforcement model, participating agencies screen people during jail booking and flag those who may lack valid status. In Nevada, Nye County’s sheriff’s office has been among the participants. The current roster is on ICE’s 287(g) program page.7U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Delegation of Immigration Authority Section 287(g)
Immigration Detainers
Even in counties without a 287(g) agreement, ICE uses immigration detainers, formally Form I-247A, to request that a local jail notify ICE before releasing someone (ideally 48 hours ahead) and hold that person up to an additional 48 hours past the scheduled release so federal officers can take custody.8U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Immigration Detainer – Notice of Action Whether a Nevada jail honors that request depends on local policy. Some comply routinely; others have pulled back over concerns about holding people past their release date without a judicial warrant.
The practical effect: someone arrested on a local charge in a cooperating county may have their status checked at booking, and if ICE issues a detainer, they can be transferred into federal immigration custody rather than released. Anyone with uncertain immigration status who is arrested for any reason should ask to speak with an immigration attorney right away.
What Happens in Immigration Court
Once someone is in ICE custody in Nevada, their case is heard by a judge from the Executive Office for Immigration Review, part of the Department of Justice. The Las Vegas Immigration Court is at 110 North City Parkway, Suite 400.9Executive Office for Immigration Review. Las Vegas Immigration Court Northern Nevada has no immigration court of its own; Reno-area cases run as a remote site of the Sacramento Immigration Court, often by video.10Executive Office for Immigration Review. Immigration Court List – Administrative Control
Cases move through two stages. A master calendar hearing comes first, functioning like a pretrial conference where the judge reads the government’s allegations and the respondent admits or denies them. If the person plans to apply for relief such as asylum or cancellation of removal, more master calendar dates may be set to allow time to file. When the case is ready, the judge sets an individual merits hearing, which is the trial itself. National backlogs mean a year or more can pass between the two.
Missing a scheduled hearing almost always produces an order of removal issued in absentia. If the person is detained, the facility is responsible for getting them to court. If they have been released on bond, showing up is on them, and a missed date can cost both liberty and the bond money.