Houston Contract Detention Facility
The Houston Contract Detention Facility is one of the immigration detention centers in Houston, Texas. Like other ICE detention facilities, it holds individuals apprehended by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) or Customs and Border Protection (C.B.P.) for immigration-related matters or offenses.
Typically, these centers hold such persons for the duration of their immigration court proceedings. When their removal proceedings are concluded, they are deported to their home country. If your loved one is being held in a detention facility, they face a significant risk of deportation. Therefore, you need as much information as possible concerning the immigration center.
If you are looking for a person detained in the facility or are looking to visit, you need the requisite information to understand how to go about finding, contacting, or visiting such persons.
Address and Contact Details
The Houston Contract Detention Facility is located at 15850 Export Plaza Drive, Houston, TX, 77032, United States. There is free public parking at the facility, and it is accessible for special needs individuals.
You can contact the center to inquire about a detainee via the facility’s main phone line daily between 8 AM and 4 PM. You will need to have the detainee’s biological information readily available when you call.
You will be asked to provide biographical information, including the detainee’s full name, possible aliases, date of birth, and country of birth. You can leave messages for the detainee and a number on which they can reach you since you cannot call the detainees directly. The detainee would be given your message.
Visitation Hours
A detainee can have one visit per week with their friends and family. The visit can only be for one hour and is contactless. However, the detention center can shorten or vary visiting periods due to security risks or other unforeseen circumstances.
Male Visitation Times
- Sundays through Wednesdays – 7 AM to 2 PM.
- Thursdays through Saturdays – 10 AM to 5 PM.
Female Visitation Times
- Sundays through Wednesdays – 2 PM to 5 PM.
- Thursdays through Saturdays – 7 AM to 10 AM.
Segregation Visits
- Everyday – 5 PM to 7 PM.
Attorney Visits
Attorneys and paralegals can visit their clients every day of the week, including on holidays, from 7 AM to 7 PM every day. However, they are permitted to arrive as early as 6:30 AM on court days. Legal representatives are allowed to also request Virtual Attorney Visitation.
All they have to do is submit a request form to houstoncourtvisitation@corecivic.com with certain details, including the detainee’s name and the lawyer’s professional details. The teleconference meeting will happen at the same times that in-person visits are allowed. An attorney can only visit with their client for an hour per day.
Consular and Clergy Visits
Consular officials are allowed to visit their nationals in ICE custody at any time. However, the Houston detention facility recommends that prior information about the visit be made available to them as much and as early as possible. These officials are also requested to bring appropriate means of identification with them.
Similarly, clergy can also visit at any time, but they have to make prior arrangements with the chaplain’s office of the detention facility.
Visitation Guidelines
- Visitors are not to come intoxicated or with any form of firearms.
- All visitors are subject to searches (pat-down searches, metal scans, and inspections of their belongings) before being allowed into the visitation area for safety reasons.
- Due to limited space, only two adult visitors and two children will be allowed into the visitation area.
- Visitors are not allowed to carry anything into the visitation area.
- Visitors above 18 years old need to present an identity card on arrival at the facility.
- An adult visitor should accompany minors at all times.
Delivery Bond
A delivery bond is an immigration bond that is posted on behalf of individuals who are in a detention facility. During a bond hearing, the immigration judge may grant or reject this bond. If granted, they will set a bail amount based on the nature of the crime in question and the risks associated with granting bail.
Upon payment, the individual is conditionally released pending the decision of their case or immigration appeals. However, the Houston Contract Detention Facility does not accept bonds directly. If you want to pay the bail of a loved one, you will need to check the list of ICE ERO bond acceptance facilities and find one that is most convenient for you.
The closest acceptance facility to the Houston Contract Detention Facility is the Bond Duty Window at 126 Northpoint Drive, Houston, TX 77060. The bonds are acceptable from Mondays to Fridays between 9 AM and 3 PM, except on public holidays. Bonds are payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and can be paid by cashier’s check or postal money order. However, amounts above $10,000 can only be paid by a single cashier’s check.
Upon posting the bond, the obligator, i.e., the person posting bail, is responsible for ensuring that the ex-detainee presents themselves to the court for their hearing. Failure to appear will mean that the bail money is forfeited.
Hiring an Immigration Lawyer
Unlike areas of the criminal law system, the immigration system does not require accused persons to have compulsory legal representatives. The implication of this is that most immigrants facing removal proceedings get deported.
With a loved one being held in detention, legal representation is of utmost importance as it tremendously increases the chances of a detainee avoiding deportation. However, it is not enough to hire a lawyer. It is vital to hire a fierce and experienced Immigration Lawyer willing to fight aggressively for the detainee’s release.
For representation by a lawyer who combines honesty and a ton of experience in the immigration system to get visible results, contact Texas immigration attorney Andrew T. Thomas, Attorneys at Law. You get a free first consultation where you can discuss the next steps of your case with your lawyer, so reach out today.