Caroline Detention Facility

Caroline Detention Facility is an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) detention facility located in Bowling Green, Virginia. It falls under the Washington Field Office ERO field office area of responsibility.

Facility quick reference

How to locate or contact a detainee

To locate someone in ICE custody, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator System at locator.ice.gov. You will need the person’s A-number (Alien Registration Number) and country of birth, or their full name, country of birth, and date of birth.

ICE publishes separate lines on the same number for this facility. To ask whether someone is held here, call (804) 633-0043 ext. 151 or ext. 261. To leave an urgent message for a detainee, call (804) 633-0043 ext. 104 and give the detainee’s full name, alien registration number (A-number), and your name and a phone number where you can be reached; the facility passes the message on. The general facility line (703) 285-6321 is for other questions. Detainees cannot receive incoming calls — they place outgoing calls themselves. Have the person’s biographical information ready when you call (full legal name and any aliases, date of birth, and country of birth). ICE gives the hours of the detainee-information line as 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. (checked October 16, 2026). ICE also says this facility has tablets and points to www.gettingout.com for information on how to send a detainee a non-confidential message. Visiting hours are listed below.

Visiting in person

ICE’s page for this facility lists these rules (checked October 16, 2026). Social visits take place on Saturday and Sunday, with hours set by custody level:

• No visits in the first 10 days: visitation is not allowed during a detainee’s first 10 days at the facility.
• Contact or non-contact: ICE’s page says “All visits are held in the non-contact visitation area.” Its Visiting Restrictions section also says that low- to medium-custody social visits are either contact or non-contact, as specified by the detainee, and that high-custody visits are non-contact.
• Length and arrival: visits may not exceed 60 minutes, and all visitors must arrive at least 30 minutes before the scheduled visit time.
• Daily count at 1 p.m.: there is no detainee movement during the count, and visitors arriving during it are not processed. ICE’s example: for a visit with a female detainee, arrive no later than 12:30 p.m. or the visit will not be allowed that day. Visitors arriving at 8:45 p.m. or after are not processed.
• ID: a valid verifiable government-issued identification card is required to enter the facility.
• Minors must be accompanied by an adult guardian (18 years or older) and must not be left unaccompanied in the waiting room, visiting room or any other area.
• Search and banned items: everyone entering the facility or the visitation area is subject to a pat-down search, an inspection of belongings and a metal scan; anyone refusing a reasonable search is not admitted. No firearms or weapons of any kind are permitted, and no electronic devices (cell phones, pagers, radios, etc.) are permitted in the secure areas. Visitors may not carry any items into the visitation area or pass items to detainees. Visitors who are or appear to be intoxicated are not allowed to visit.
• Consular officials may meet with their detained nationals at any time. ICE requests that they make prior arrangements with the ICE Supervisory Deportation Officer to the extent possible and bring appropriate credentials. ICE gives the Supervisory Deportation Officer in charge of the facility as (804) 330-8280.
• Clergy may visit at any time but must make prior arrangements with the Chaplain’s Office at (804) 633-0043 x161.
• Parking is public and free of charge; vehicles must be secured, with doors locked and windows up. ICE says the facility is in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Sending mail, commissary funds, and personal items

Letters and packages sent to a detainee must show the detainee’s full name and A-number, along with the sender’s name and return address — and each facility publishes its own exact format. ICE lists each facility’s format on that facility’s page at ice.gov. This facility’s own ICE page says incoming mail “is not read upon opening, only inspected by the delivering officer” and that detainees may seal their own outgoing letters. ICE’s detention standards allow more than that. ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight inspected this facility in February 2026 under the Performance-Based National Detention Standards (PBNDS) 2011 (Revised 2016) (inspection report). Under that standard’s mail section, 5.1, staff open and inspect incoming general correspondence for contraband in the detainee’s presence unless the facility administrator authorizes otherwise, and it “may be read to the extent necessary to maintain security, as authorized by the facility administrator” — reading, with the administrator’s approval, may be done at random. Outgoing general mail may be inspected or read if it is addressed to another detainee or there is evidence it might threaten the facility’s secure or orderly operation, endanger the recipient or the public, or facilitate criminal activity. Only special correspondence or legal mail — mail to or from attorneys and other legal representatives, government attorneys, judges and courts, embassies and consulates, the President and Vice President, members of Congress, the Justice Department and DHS (including ICE, ERO, ICE Health Services Corps, CRCL and the DHS Inspector General), outside health care professionals, grievance administrators and the news media — may not be read: the envelope must be labeled “special correspondence” or “legal mail” and identify the sender’s or addressee’s title and office. Staff may neither read nor copy it; any inspection takes place in the detainee’s presence and is limited to detecting physical contraband and confirming that enclosures qualify as special correspondence or legal mail. Rules for commissary (account) deposits and permitted personal items vary by facility, and so does the number that handles them — ICE names a separate facility mail clerk on some facility pages. This facility’s deposit route, accepted form of payment and contacts are in the Sending Items to Detainees section of its own ICE page (linked above).

What ICE publishes for this facility’s mail, money, and packages

Checked October 16, 2026:

• Letters must include the detainee’s A-number (File Number) plus the sender’s name and address. All incoming mail is subject to screening for contraband. Outgoing mail is routed to the post office within 24 hours of receipt by facility staff, and a mail pick-up and delivery schedule is posted in all housing units.
• Money: ICE’s page for this facility does not give a deposit method. It says that funds a detainee receives in the mail are taken to the processing area and placed into the detainee’s account, that the processing officer provides a receipt for all funds received, and that “Detainees are cautioned not to have cash sent to them in the mail.”
• Packages: a detainee may receive only items determined necessary for the sole purpose of travel or release from custody, and only with the ICE Deportation Officer’s approval. Before sending a package, contact the Mail Clerk at (804) 633-0043 x110. The address ICE gives for the Mail Clerk:

11093 SW Lewis Memorial Drive
POB 1460
Bowling Green, VA 22427

• Stamps: detainees may buy them. Indigent detainees (no means of financial support and no funds in their facility account) get a postage allowance at government expense.
• Transfers and departures: only legal mail is forwarded. General correspondence is endorsed “Return to Sender” and returned to the post office.
• Luggage for removal: one small piece is allowed. If the person has none, luggage can be sent or delivered after approval from the Supervisory Deportation Officer. No electronic devices (cell phones, electric razors, laptop computers, radios, etc.) are accepted.

Legal access, attorneys, and immigration court information

Detainees have the right to speak with an attorney, and attorney–client visits and calls are confidential. For information about a case before the immigration court (EOIR), EOIR’s automated line 1-800-898-7180 (toll-free, 24 hours a day, English and Spanish) gives the next hearing date and case status; callers enter the 9 digits of the A-number, without the letter A (EOIR, checked October 24, 2026). For a matter before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), the main line of EOIR (the Justice Department agency the BIA belongs to) is (703) 305-0289. Applications for relief from removal must be filed directly with the immigration court handling the case. If you cannot afford an attorney, the immigration court can provide a list of pro bono legal service providers — see the related resources below.

Booking legal visits, video calls, and legal calls

Per ICE’s page for this facility (checked October 16, 2026):

• In-person attorney visits: 1:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m., 7 days a week, by appointment. To schedule one, email Legal.Coordinator@CarolineDF.org with the client’s name and the requested date and time.
• G-28s can be submitted through ERO eFile. Facility staff do not have access to ERO eFile, so ICE says legal representatives should download copies of their submitted G-28 for any in-person or remote legal visit.
• Virtual legal visits and confidential legal phone calls are requested by email to Legal.Coordinator@CarolineDF.org; the facility’s Legal Coordinator emails back with a confirmed date and time. Appointments are to be made 24 hours before the desired time, are scheduled 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in 60-minute increments, and no representative may have more than one 60-minute appointment with a detainee in a single day (ICE says representatives are not limited in the number of virtual appointments they can request).
• The email must give the representative’s full name and contact information (phone number and email address), the detainee’s name and A-number, and a few proposed dates and times, with scans of the representative’s government-issued ID, of documentation of active legal-representative status (such as a state bar card, attorney license or paralegal license), and of the DHS Form G-28 unless the visit is pre-representational. If a legal assistant is the only one joining, the email must also attach a letter of authorization on the firm’s or organization’s letterhead and a scan of the assistant’s ID.
• Only legal representatives, legal assistants and interpreters may attend — no family or friends. Outside interpretation services may be contacted during the session. A visitation officer stays outside the confidential room, out of earshot but within eyeshot, and knocks 5 minutes before the cut-off time.

Sending legal documents and case questions

• Legal documents by email: legal representatives can send legal correspondence to Legal.Coordinator@CarolineDF.org, at least 48 hours before a visit so the Legal Coordinator can prepare them for the client. The body of the email must list the detainee’s full name, A-number, the sender’s return fax number, the total number of pages, and that the attachment is legal correspondence. The documents are delivered in a sealed envelope with the detainee’s name and A-number, inspected for contraband but not read. Requests are processed Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding holidays.
• When timely communication by mail is not possible, the facility administrator “may, in his discretion” allow a reasonable amount of email communication between a detainee and the designated legal representative.
• Case information about someone held here: Washington.Outreach@ice.dhs.gov. ICE says this mailbox does not accept applications for Stay of Removal or Case Appeals.
• Identifying the Deportation Officer: ask the field office at the same address, Washington.Outreach@ice.dhs.gov; a G-28 must be on file for any information to be disclosed.
• The pro bono legal-organization list is posted in all housing units and updated quarterly; contacting a provider for an appointment is the detainee’s responsibility.

Feedback, complaints, and oversight

To report a concern about conditions at this facility or the conduct of an ICE or contract employee, contact the ERO Washington Field Office that oversees this facility, or file a complaint with the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL). On its own Make a Civil Rights Complaint page DHS publishes one channel — the online portal at engage.dhs.gov/crcl-complaint; CBP additionally publishes, for the same office, the e-mail address CRCL@dhs.gov, fax (202) 401-4708, and the postal address DHS/CRCL, Compliance Branch, 2707 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE, Mail Stop #0190, Washington, DC 20528-0190. The DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) hotline is 1-800-323-8603.

This facility’s own ICE page adds these channels (checked October 16, 2026):

• Comments on service, or a misconduct complaint to the field office: Field Office Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 14797 Murdock Street, MS5216, Chantilly, VA 20598-5216, phone (703) 633-2100.
• ICE Office of Professional Responsibility (by mail): Director, Office of Professional Responsibility, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 500 12th Street, SW, Suite 1049, Mailstop 5099, Washington, DC 20536-5005.
• ICE OPR Integrity Coordination Center: 1-833-4ICE-OPR or ICEOPRIntake@ice.dhs.gov.
• DHS OIG: the ICE page lists DHS Office of Inspector General, Attn: Office of Investigations - Hotline, 245 Murray Drive, Building 410 Stop: 2600, Washington, DC 20528; phone 1-800-323-8603; fax (202) 245-5217; DHSOIGHOTLINE@DHS.GOV.

Media: for questions about ICE activities, ICE gives the Office of Public Affairs at ICEMedia@ice.dhs.gov, and says: “Ordinarily, live television or radio interviews will not be permitted in the facility.” A news media representative who wants to interview a detainee must apply in writing to the Washington Field Office, Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations, stating familiarity with and agreement to follow the facility’s rules. A detainee has the right not to be interviewed, photographed or recorded, and the media representative must first obtain the detainee’s written permission.

ICE inspection record

ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight (ODO), part of ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility, inspected Caroline Detention Facility on February 10–12, 2026 (Inspection 2026-001-005; ODO report). Per ICE’s February 2026 inspection report, the findings are organized by the Performance-Based National Detention Standards (PBNDS) 2011 (Revised 2016) major categories, and the facility is listed under ERO Washington.

Earlier inspections

• June 27–29, 2023 (unannounced follow-up compliance inspection): ODO found no floor drains in either of the two hold rooms it observed; the report identifies this as a repeat deficiency. Source.
• January 9–11, 2024 (compliance inspection): ODO reviewed 29 standards under PBNDS 2011 (Revised 2016), found compliance with 23, and found 12 deficiencies in the remaining 6 standards. Source.
• July 9–11, 2024 (follow-up compliance inspection): ODO reviewed 18 standards under PBNDS 2011 (Revised 2016), found compliance with 17, and found one deficiency in the remaining standard. Source.

ICE’s ODO inspection list also lists these earlier inspections:

• Caroline Detention Facility, Bowling Green, VA - Sep. 17-19, 2019.
• Caroline Detention Facility, Bowling Green, VA - Jul. 27-30, 2020.
• Caroline Detention Center, Bowling Green, VA - Aug. 9-11, 2021 (follow-up inspection).

Related procedural resources

• Know Your Rights — what to do if ICE detains you
• EOIR immigration court schedules and procedures
• BIA-recognized legal-aid organizations in Virginia
• Other ICE detention facilities in Virginia
• All facilities under the Washington Field Office