WASHINGTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the launch of ICE’s Online Detainee Locator System (ODLS) on July 23, 2010. ODLS is a public, Internet-based tool designed to assist family members and attorneys in locating detained aliens in ICE custody.

Previously, the only way to determine a detainee’s location was by contacting an ICE Office of Detention and Removal Operations.

Families’ attorneys and interested persons can search by entering an individual’s alien registration number and their country of birth. They can also search by entering an individual’s first name, last name, country of birth and date of birth.

The ODLS will provide families with the location of the detention facility where an individual is held, a contact number for the facility and contact information for the ICE office in the region where the facility is located. It will also show if a person was in detention within the last 60 days, but was released.

The ODLS is located on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement website www.ice.gov.

The system is currently in English and Spanish.