How to reach the person
The key rule: he can call you. You cannot call him. Below, step by step — calls, messages, video, money, and letters.
Updated July 28, 2026
Where to start
- Find out which phone provider your facility uses.
- On your own phone, turn off blocking of unknown numbers — otherwise he cannot get through.
- Set up an account and put a little money on it.
1 · Calls
He calls out from the phones in the housing unit. You cannot call him — only he can call you. With no money on the account, there are no calls at all.
- Find the facility’s provider — most often it is
GettingOut(the ViaPath company); some useSecurusorICSolutions. - Open the provider’s website in a browser (or its app) and create an account.
- Link the account by
A-Numberand facility. - Choose how: fund his personal account — he calls anyone; or link it to your number (AdvancePay) — he calls only you, usually cheaper.
- Put a little on it — the minimum is usually
$10. If he is transferred to another facility, the money does not move with him.
9233# — free and not monitored
Dialing 9233# from a facility phone reaches the free Freedom for Immigrants line. Regular calls are recorded; ICE does not monitor this one.
Volunteers speak many languages, help, and can notify your family of where the person is. Hours: Mon–Fri, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. Pacific.
A regular call is recorded and time-limited (about 15–20 minutes). The price is around 7 cents a minute domestically, more for international; it varies by facility. Saying the A-Number on the phone is safe; case details are not. The free-call program some facilities had was ended by ICE in 2026 — expect calls to be paid.
The first call: how to unblock numbers →2 · Messages (text)
These are not regular texts to a phone. They are messages inside the provider’s system — he reads them on a tablet.
- The same provider and the same account as for calls.
- Open the “Messages” section on the provider’s website.
- Pay for “stamps” (credits) — on the website, by phone, or in the app, minimum usually
$10. - The same funds let you send a photo and a 30-second video message.
Tablets are not in every facility. Delivery is delayed, and everything is screened.
3 · Video calls
Some facilities have video calls — scheduled in advance, through the provider’s website or a kiosk in the lobby. Paid, and the account is needed in advance.
This is not an in-person visit — it has its own rules and hours.
Visiting →4 · Money for daily needs (inside)
This is a separate account — not the one for calls. From it the person buys food, hygiene, and sometimes phone time inside. It is often a different vendor.
- Find the money instructions on this facility’s ICE page (the commissary / trust account section) — the details differ by facility.
- The methods, whichever exist — depends on the place: online by card with the vendor (
Access Corrections,TouchPay,ViaPath/ConnectNetwork,Western Union); by phone with the vendor; by mail with a money order to the facility’s address; in person at a kiosk in the lobby. - All of them need the full name and
A-Number(often the date of birth too). - Deposit only with the vendor listed for this facility. After a transfer the money gets stuck and is hard to get back.
If there is no one to help
The Freedom for Immigrants Commissary Fund puts money on the account for people who have no one.
Money for daily needs cannot be withdrawn as cash — it is only spent inside.
5 · Letters and postcards
- A plain postcard by mail arrives more reliably than any service
- The A-Number goes on the envelope and on every item, always
- Books — only new and directly from a store or publisher, not from a private person
- Softcover passes faster: hardcover is checked longer and often not allowed
- Every facility has its own rules — confirm by phone before sending
Regular warm contact is what protects the person inside the most.
Information updated July 28, 2026. Rules change — check the date.
We are not attorneys and we do not give legal advice. This page has facts and links to official sources only.