No ICE Center in Crockett County
The facility sweep found no ICE detention center physically located in Crockett County. That finding describes geography, not the custody status of every person arrested near Ozona. ICE uses a detention network that can place people in facilities far from the county where another agency first held them. A search limited to Crockett County facilities can therefore miss a valid immigration-custody placement.
Crockett County Jail is operated by Sheriff Victor De La Garza at 121 S. Highway 163 in Ozona. Its official page provides contact information and a VINELink referral, but no historical release archive. When a local record says a person was released to ICE, local custody ended and federal civil custody began. That is a transfer between custodians, not evidence that the person walked out into the community.
“Released from Crockett County Jail” and “released from ICE custody” are separate claims. Confirm each with the agency that recorded that event.
Search the ICE Locator Correctly
Begin at the official ICE Online Detainee Locator System. The strongest route uses the person’s alien registration number, commonly called an A-number, together with country of birth. Enter an A-number as nine digits, adding leading zeroes when necessary. The alternative biographical route depends on an exact name and country of birth, with date of birth where the interface offers it. Spelling, spacing, compound surnames, and transliteration can affect a match.
The ordinary public interface does not provide records for minors. It can also lag and does not necessarily display every person. A no-match is therefore an unresolved result, not proof of release, removal, or absence from ICE authority. Repeat the search with verified identifiers and contact ICE when the timing or identity data suggests the locator may be incomplete.
- Confirm the full legal name, country of birth, and A-number if available.
- Ask the Crockett County Sheriff whether the jail transaction names ICE or another receiving agency.
- Search by A-number first, then try the biographical route with exact source-record spelling.
- Record the date and time of the search because facility and custody information can change.
- Verify a result with the listed facility or ICE before relying on it for travel or case planning.
The 60-Day Release Window
ICE’s public material says locator records may include people released within the preceding 60 days. That makes the system useful for a current or limited recent check, but it is not a durable historical release ledger. A person released from ICE custody months ago may no longer appear. Someone transferred, moved, or newly booked may also be absent while records update.
For an older event, preserve the underlying documents rather than expecting the locator to serve as an archive. Useful records can include the Crockett County booking and release transaction, its destination field, the immigration detainer, ICE custody paperwork, a notice to appear, bond documents, and orders from the immigration case. Each document proves only the event it records. A locator no-match cannot replace them.
| Result | What it supports | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|
| Current facility shown | ICE reports a present detention placement | Why county custody ended or final case outcome |
| Recent release shown | ICE reports departure within its limited window | Long-term location or absence of conditions |
| No match | No displayed record for the submitted search | Community release, removal, or no ICE involvement |
How an ICE Detainer Changes the Timeline
An immigration detainer asks another law-enforcement agency to notify ICE before an otherwise authorized release and to maintain custody for a limited period so ICE can assume custody. ICE describes that period as up to 48 hours beyond the time the person would otherwise be released, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays under the applicable framework. The detainer does not turn the county jail into an ICE detention center.
The chronology matters. A Crockett County court may authorize bond, dismiss a charge, credit time served, or otherwise end the local basis for confinement. The sheriff then processes the local transaction. If ICE assumes custody, a second custody event begins. Those events may occur close together while having opposite practical meanings: release from the county case and continued detention under immigration authority.
- Local release authority
- The bond, order, sentence calculation, or disposition ending the county hold.
- County transaction
- The Crockett County Jail record of the time local custody ended and the destination, if maintained.
- ICE assumption of custody
- The separate federal civil-custody event after transfer.
- Community release
- A later event that must be confirmed independently and should not be inferred from the county entry.
Ask the sheriff specifically for “release type,” “release authority,” and “released to” or receiving-agency fields. If staff use the single word “released,” ask whether that label includes transfers. This is the most direct way to avoid the false-release problem.
Crockett County Record Trail
The Crockett County Sheriff’s official page identifies the local custodian. Call 325-392-2661 to confirm the current records-delivery method before sending a request. The office lists P.O. Box 1931, Ozona, TX 76943 and fax 325-392-2045. No dedicated online release-record form, published jail-records hours, or county release fee schedule was found.
A focused request should identify the person, date range, booking or cause number if known, and seek the existing booking and release record. Ask for the booking and release times, release reason or authority, bond data, and destination or receiving agency. Do not ask the sheriff to create a new explanation. The maintained transaction is the evidence. If charges may apply, request an estimate before copies are produced.
Court records provide legal context but may not state the actual jail-door time. Felony causes generally route through the 112th District Court and District Clerk. County-level misdemeanor matters route according to the cause through the County Clerk. The District Clerk and County Clerk pages list Ninfa Preddy, P.O. Drawer C, Ozona, Texas 76943, telephone 325-392-2022. Ask for an existing docket sheet, bond or release order, judgment, dismissal, sentence, or warrant disposition relevant to the custody change.
ICE Assistance After No Match
ICE lists the Detention Reporting and Information Line at 1-888-351-4024 for assistance during its published weekday hours. Have the A-number, full name, date and country of birth, and the last known custodian ready. The ICE attorney information resources also explain detention-related channels. Confirm hours on the official site because operating details can change.
If the sheriff names a destination facility, contact that facility as well as ICE. A contract facility can hold an ICE detainee without becoming a Crockett County or ICE-owned institution. If the destination is unclear, preserve what each agency says, including the search date, spelling used, and any reference number. Do not merge people based on name alone.
VINELink Texas is a separate notification and custody channel. The sheriff links users to VINELink Texas, but its live agency coverage and events must be checked for the person. It should not be assumed to cover ICE. Likewise, the TDCJ offender search covers Texas prison custody, BOP covers federal prison records, and the ICE locator covers immigration detention. A result in one system does not settle status in the others.
Read Departure Records Conservatively
Several outcomes can follow ICE custody, and the public locator alone may not distinguish them over time. A displayed recent release can establish that ICE reports a departure during its window. It does not by itself establish the person’s present address, immigration-case result, or freedom from another custodian. A disappearance from the locator is even less conclusive.
Build the chronology from originating records. Start with the Crockett County arrest and court cause if there was one. Add the sheriff’s release or transfer timestamp. Then add the ICE intake, facility placement, bond or custody decision, and documented departure. Keep the event date separate from the date a database was searched. If sources conflict, ask the agency that created the disputed entry to review it.
Geography is a poor shortcut in this system. No ICE center was identified in Crockett County, yet an Ozona jail departure can lead to immigration detention elsewhere. Search by identity and custodian, not by assuming the person must remain near the county. Return to the Crockett County released inmate search when the receiving system is unknown, or use the USMS prisoner guide when the transfer was federal criminal rather than immigration custody.
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