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ICE and ISAP Check Ins

There are many different immigration agencies within the United States government. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the name of the immigration agency that enforces immigration laws, and Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP) is the name for ICE’s program to monitor certain immigrants.

Some people have to go to regular check-in appointments with ICE or ISAP as part of their immigration case, and other people do not. If you entered the United States with a visa and you have never been detained by the U.S. government before, you most likely do not have ICE or ISAP check ins. If you entered the United States by crossing the border and you were detained, or if you were detained some time after entering the United States, you may have ICE or ISAP check ins.

Scroll down or click on the links below to read questions and answers from the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP).

What is ICE? What is ISAP?

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a U.S. government agency that enforces immigration laws. They act like immigration “police.”

Often when ICE releases a person from immigration detention, they decide to continue to monitor the person through a program called the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP). This monitoring can happen in different ways, including through ankle monitors, in-person check-in appointments, visits at home, or check-ins by phone. Some private companies work for ICE to administer the ISAP program.

How do I know if I have an ICE check in, when it is, and where it will be?

First, even if you were released from detention, you may not have to check in with ICE. Some people have to check in regularly as part of their case, and other people do not.

You probably have ICE check-in appointments if any of the following situations apply to you: 

  1. You received a document from the U.S. government that tells you that you have appointments with ICE. The document may look like this or this.
    • The document may tell you when and where your first ICE appointment will be.
  2. After arriving in the United States through the Mexico-U.S. border, you received a document called Notice to Report (Form I-385).
  3. After arriving in the United States through the Mexico-U.S. border, you were told that you have to report to ICE by a certain time (for example, within 60 days).
    • Usually, border officials do not tell you when and where your first ICE appointment will be. Read about what you can do in this situation. You can also schedule an appointment at this ICE website.

If you think you are supposed to check in with ICE but you are not sure, you can try calling ICE’s national phone numbers at 1-833-383-1465 or 1-888-351-4024. Or you can also try contacting your local ICE office.

What can I do if my ICE check-in appointment is scheduled very far in the future?

As of spring 2023, some ICE offices are scheduling first appointments or follow-up appointments many years in the future. While you are waiting for your appointment with ICE, you can still continue with your immigration case!

  1. You should check the immigration court system every week to see if you have been scheduled for a hearing in immigration court. It is important to attend all of your immigration court hearings if you want to pursue your case.
  2. You can also decide whether to apply for asylum. You generally have to apply for asylum within 1 year of arriving in the United States.

If you were told that you have to report to ICE within a certain time (for example, 60 days), but the earliest available ICE appointment you can find is later than that, it should be okay. According to ICE, you will still meet the reporting requirement by scheduling the earliest available appointment. You should keep a copy of the appointment confirmation page in case you need to show it to the government later.

What should I do if I cannot attend my ICE check in?

If you cannot attend the time of your ICE check-in appointment, you can try to reschedule:

  • You can go to checkin.ice.gov to try to reschedule your check-in appointment.
  • You can try calling your ICE officer to let them know and ask to reschedule your appointment for another date when you are able to attend.
  • If you do not have your ICE officer’s phone number, you can try calling ICE’s national phone number at 1-833-383-1465 or your local ICE office.

If you cannot attend the location of your ICE check-in appointment because you moved far away, you do not need to reschedule.

  • Instead, you can go to a different ICE office near you on that day.
  • You can also call ICE’s national phone number at 1-833-383-1465 to update your address.
  • You may also need to change your address with other immigration agencies.

What should I do if no one answers when I call the ICE office?

If no one answers at the ICE office, you can try leaving a voicemail message with your name, phone number, and A number. It is often very difficult to get someone to answer when you call an ICE office and you may not be able to leave a voicemail message. You can try to keep calling until they answer.

You can also try calling the ICE’s national number at 1-833-383-1465.

You can also try emailing your local ICE office.

It is helpful to keep a record of how you tried to contact ICE. You can write down the date and time you called, what phone number you called, and what answer was provided. Keep a copy of any emails you send to ICE.

ICE took my passport. Can I get a new one?

If ICE took your passport, they usually keep it until the end of your immigration court case. At the end of your case, ICE should return your passport when you ask for it.

If you need your passport while your immigration court case is still pending, there are two possible options: (1) you can ask ICE to return your passport temporarily, and (2) you can request a new passport from the consulate of your country of origin. There is more detail on these options below to help you decide whether they make sense for you.

First, you can ask your ICE office to return your passport to you temporarily for a specific reason, such as to apply for a driver’s license. But you will have to return your passport by the date ICE specifies. If they do not agree to give you the passport itself, you can also ask them for a photocopy of the pages with your name, biographic information, and photo. You can use that photocopy to prove your identity when you send immigration applications, like for a work permit.

Second, some people may be able to request a new passport from the consulate of your country of origin. Whether this option makes sense for you may depend on the reasons why you are requesting asylum.

  • If you are requesting asylum based on threat or danger from the government of your country of origin, then we generally do NOT recommend contacting your country’s consulate in the United States to request a new passport. It could put you at risk. Also, the U.S. government could decide that because you are not afraid to contact your country of origin’s government for a new passport, you do not need the protection of asylum in the United States.
  • If you are not in danger directly from the government in your country of origin, but instead from other people or groups, it may be safe to request a new passport from your country’s consulate in the United States. You know best the reasons why you may be seeking asylum in the United States, and whether contacting the government of your country of origin is a risk. You can learn more about asylum in this video. If you are not sure what to do, we recommend talking to an immigration attorney first.
  • If you are not seeking asylum, withholding of removal, or protection under the Convention Against Torture (CAT), but instead you have a different type of immigration case, it is generally fine to request a new passport from your country.

I have an ankle monitor. How can I get it removed?

The length of time it takes to remove the ankle monitor varies and each case is different. Sometimes a lawyer can advocate to have it removed. If you would like to find a lawyer, visit this find help page.

Also, this guide has information on how to ask your ICE officer to remove the electronic monitor. The guide was created by the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at Stanford Law School and is specifically for people with cases in San Francisco, California. However, the general information may be useful for asylum seekers with monitors in other locations as well. This guide was created in 2016, so the information may have changed since then.

A government official told me to report to ICE after arriving in the United States. What can I do?

If you arrived in the United States through the Mexico-U.S. border after March 2021, you may have been told by a U.S. government official that you must report to ICE within a certain amount of time.

  • From March to November of 2021, some people who arrived at the Mexico-U.S. border received a document called a Notice to Report (Form I-385). With this notice, they were told to report to a local ICE office within 60 days.
  • Other people did not receive a specific document, but an immigration official told them to report to ICE by a certain time (for example, within 15 days or 60 days).

If this happened to you, below are some possible next steps you can take.

1. You can report to ICE by scheduling an ICE check-in appointment. You can schedule an appointment on this ICE website. If you were told that you have to report to ICE within a certain time (for example, 60 days), but the earliest available ICE appointment you can find is later than that, it should be okay. Read more below.

2. You should check the immigration court system every week to see if you have been scheduled for a hearing in immigration court. You can call the immigration court hotline at 1-800-898-7180 or go to this immigration court website. You will need to enter your A Number. It is important to attend all of your immigration court hearings if you want to pursue your case.

Note: If you have not yet received a Notice to Appear, the government has said you will probably receive one in the future. A Notice to Appear is a document that says you have a case in immigration court. You could receive the Notice to Appear at a check-in appointment with ICE. Or you could receive it in the mail at the address you provided to the U.S. government.

3. You can apply for asylum. Applying for asylum is a personal choice, and it can be a complicated decision depending on your circumstances. You generally have to apply for asylum within 1 year of entering the United States, but you may want to apply more quickly. 150 days after submitting an asylum application, you can usually apply for a work permit. Learn more about asylum here.

How to apply for asylum depends on whether your information appears when you check the immigration court system.

  • If your case information does not appear in the immigration court system after you enter your A Number, you can apply for asylum with USCIS by following these steps.
  • If your case information does appear in the immigration court system and you have been assigned to an immigration court, you can apply for asylum with the immigration court by following these steps.

4. If you have moved, you can call ICE’s national phone number at 1-833-383-1465 to update your address. You may also need to change your address with other immigration agencies.

5. For advice specific to your case, you can also look for an attorney.

I cannot get an ICE appointment by the deadline a government official gave me. What can I do?

If you were told that you have to report to ICE within a certain time (for example, 60 days), but the earliest available ICE appointment you can find is later than that, it should be okay.

According to ICE, you will still meet the reporting requirement by scheduling the earliest available appointment. You should keep a copy of the appointment confirmation page in case you need to show it to the government later. As of spring 2023, some ICE offices are scheduling appointments many years in the future.

If you are having difficulty scheduling an appointment, you can keep trying, and write down everything you have done to try to schedule an appointment. If you have problems with the ICE website, you can try calling ICE’s national phone number at 1-833-383-1465. You can also keep records, like taking a screenshot of the website scheduler with your phone. Later, you may have to show that you tried your best to schedule an appointment.

Note: This page is for adults who are interested in seeking asylum in the United States. Our hope is that you will use the information to better understand the asylum process and take control of your case. However, this information is not a substitute for legal advice about your particular case. To look for legal assistance, visit ASAP’s find help page.

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