Refugio ICE Transfer Paths
An ICE detainer or pickup can follow the end of a county booking. The sheriff record may call that event release to ICE, but the person did not enter the community. Local custody ended and federal immigration custody began. Request the county transfer timestamp, authority, hold, and destination, then continue in ICE records.
Only a later ICE release event establishes the end of ICE custody. That result still does not resolve a separate criminal case, another agency hold, or court obligation. Keep county, immigration, state, and federal prison events in sequence.
Confirm a Refugio ICE Release
The official Online Detainee Locator System, or ODLS, is the first public check for an identified immigration case.
- Open ICE ODLS.
- Search with the nine-digit A-number and country of birth, padding leading zeros when needed.
- Alternatively use exact first and last name, country of birth, and date of birth when available.
- Compare identity and any displayed facility or status.
- Contact the displayed facility or ERO field office for the precise date and disposition.
ICE says ODLS includes current detainees and people released from ICE custody within the prior 60 days. It does not search people under 18. Exact spelling matters, and no-result becomes especially ambiguous after the recent-release window. The Refugio custody guide covers the earlier county record.
ICE Records and Notifications
ODLS is a locator, not a certified historical record. For a durable result, contact the facility or ERO office identified in the federal record and use the appropriate ICE records process. Narrow the request with the exact name, A-number, country of birth, and date range when permitted.
ICE jurisdictional system
Locator: ICE ODLS
Notification: DHS-VINE
Local Refugio center: None identified
DHS-VINE provides a separate notification route for victims and witnesses concerning immigration custody. It is not Texas IVSS-Counties and is not the retired county VINE workflow.
No ICE Center in Refugio
No ICE detention center was found within Refugio County. Do not use the operating county jail address as an ICE facility address. A person may leave Refugio custody for an ICE location elsewhere, and the transfer record should identify the receiving authority.
The county booking line can answer whether Refugio still holds the person. A written booking-out or transfer record is stronger proof of the local event. ODLS and direct ICE confirmation then address immigration custody. One system cannot certify the other.
ICE's 60-Day Release Window
The limited post-release scope makes ODLS unusually useful after an ICE custody event. It also makes timing critical. Record the date and time searched, identifiers entered, spelling used, and exact status returned. After 60 days, a no-result cannot distinguish release from an expired visibility period.
| Result | Careful reading |
|---|---|
| Current ICE location | Immigration custody continues. |
| Recent released result | ICE custody ended within the stated window. |
| No result | May reflect inputs, age scope, timing, or no ICE record. |
| Refugio transfer to ICE | County custody ended, ICE custody began. |
Obtain direct agency records when the exact date or disposition matters. Never convert an ambiguous no-result into a firm release statement.
ICE Holds After Refugio Jail
A Refugio release order and an ICE hold can exist at the same time. The court document explains why local criminal custody could end. The sheriff transfer record explains why the person did not enter the community. The ICE record explains what happened next.
Ask closed questions: Is the person presently held? If not, was the exit community release or transfer? Which authority received custody, and when? Preserve the answers with the source and check time.
Historic Refugio Jail Is Separate
A secondary history source says an old Refugio jail structure was moved to Tivoli, later displayed behind the fire station, and destroyed by a severe storm. It is not the operating jail and has no link to ICE detention.
The current county jail stands at 405 Mesquite Street. No ICE center was identified locally. This distinction keeps local history from being mistaken for an immigration-custody address.
Reconcile Refugio ICE Records
Use a source hierarchy. A court order establishes legal authority. The sheriff booking-out record establishes the county custody end. Transfer papers identify ICE as receiver. ODLS supplies timely location or recent-release navigation, while an ICE record confirms the immigration event.
Match exact name, A-number, country of birth, date of birth, booking number, dates, and agency. If details conflict, keep the match unconfirmed. A BOP released result can precede ICE custody, just as a Refugio transfer can precede it. Report each stage rather than using one vague release date.
Use ICE Locator Inputs Carefully
The A-number route is strongest when the identifier is known. It must contain nine digits, so shorter numbers require leading zeros. Country of birth is also required. The name route depends on exact spelling and country of birth, with date of birth used when available. A spelling variant can change the result.
ODLS does not cover people under 18. Its recent-release visibility also ends. These limits explain why no-result cannot be treated as a custody conclusion. Save the inputs and search time, then contact ICE when the person and federal case are otherwise established.
DHS-VINE Immigration Notifications
DHS-VINE is a custody-change notification tool for the immigration context. It offers Find a Detainee and registration management. An alert can help a registered person learn of a change, but it does not replace an ICE custody or release record.
Texas IVSS-Counties serves participating county events, while TDCJ IVSS serves state corrections events. The retired Texas VINE PIN process is also different. Select DHS-VINE only after the custody owner is ICE.
After ICE's Release Window
Once the ODLS post-release period passes, direct records and agency contact become more important. Provide the exact A-number, identity information, and date range where permitted. Ask for the specific custody or release event rather than a broad file.
Keep the Refugio transfer record with the later ICE result. Together they show when local custody ended, when immigration custody began, and when ICE custody ended. A federal court record may add legal context but does not replace the operational agency dates.
Preserve the exact status language. Do not translate a transfer into release, a no-result into freedom, or an agency custody end into the end of every legal obligation. Each conclusion should name the agency and event.