Coastal Bend Detention Center

Coastal Bend Detention Center is an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) detention facility located in Robstown, Texas. It falls under the Harlingen Field Office ERO field office area of responsibility.

Facility quick reference

How to locate or contact a detainee

ICE’s Online Detainee Locator System at locator.ice.gov finds people in ICE custody. It searches by the person’s A-number (Alien Registration Number) and country of birth, or by 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, ICE lists (361) 767-3400. To leave an urgent message for a detainee, ICE lists (361) 767-3400 ext. 248 and says the caller must give the detainee’s full name, alien registration number (A-number), and the caller’s own name and a phone number where they can be reached; the facility passes the message on. Detainees cannot receive incoming calls — they place outgoing calls themselves. ICE asks callers to have the person’s biographical information ready (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. to 5 p.m.; for an urgent message after regular business hours or on the weekend, ICE says to ask for the shift supervisor. The facility has tablets, but ICE says all contact using them is initiated by the detainee (checked October 16, 2026).

ICE’s page gives two different extensions. The ext. 248 line above (for the chaplain) comes from its “Contacting a Detainee” section. A second section on the same page (page updated 10/06/2026; checked October 16, 2026), “Sending Non-Confidential Messages,” gives (361) 767-3400 ext. 224 for detainee information, and ext. 224 or the classification department for urgent messages.

Visiting in person

ICE’s page for this facility (updated 10/06/2026; checked October 16, 2026) publishes these rules:

• Friends and family visits: Saturday, Sunday and holidays, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The holidays ICE lists are New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Detainees are permitted one visit per week. The minimum duration of a visit is 60 minutes; if a visitor or detainee leaves the visiting room without permission at any time, the visit is terminated.
• All family or other social visits are non-contact.
• ID: every visitor must present valid identification — a passport, driver’s license or state ID card — and it must be current and not expired.
• What not to bring: visitors may not carry any items into the visitation area or pass or attempt to pass any items to detainees. Handbags, cellphones, tablets, Apple watches, computers and tobacco products are prohibited, as are outside food or drinks and firearms or weapons of any kind; no electronic devices (cell phones, pagers, radios, etc.) are permitted in the secure areas.
• Dress code: males and females must wear pants and a shirt; only closed-toe shoes, with toes covered at all times; ill-fitting (tight) or torn clothing is not permitted (ICE lists dresses, spandex, capris and tank tops).
• Search: everyone requesting admittance to the facility or the visitation area is subject to a pat-down search, an inspection of belongings and a metal scan search; anyone refusing to cooperate with a reasonable search is not admitted. Visitors who are or appear to be intoxicated are not allowed to visit, and foul language or inappropriate conduct can lead to termination of the visit.
• Parking: free public parking is available at the facility. Vehicles in the numbered spaces will be asked to move or towed at the owner’s expense.
• Clergy may visit at any time but must make prior arrangements with the Chaplain’s Office.
• Consular officials may meet with their detained nationals at any time. ICE requests that prior arrangements be made with the ICE Supervisory Deportation Officer to the extent possible and that consular officials bring appropriate credentials; that officer can be reached at (361) 767-3400 ext. 278 or (361) 879-4401.

Sending mail, commissary funds, and personal items

ICE’s page for this facility says letters must include the last four digits of the detainee’s A-number (File Number), plus the sender’s name and address. ICE posts each facility’s mail rules 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 national standard allows more than that. Under ICE’s National Detention Standards, Revised 2019, §5.1(E), incoming general mail is opened and inspected for contraband, and outgoing general mail may be inspected and read if it is addressed to another detainee or staff have reason to believe it threatens the facility’s security or order, endangers someone, or could facilitate criminal activity. Only special correspondence — mail to or from attorneys and other legal representatives, courts and judges, government attorneys, embassies and consulates, the President and Vice President of the United States, members of Congress, the Department of Justice (including the immigration courts), DHS (including ICE/ERO, IHSC, CRCL and the DHS Inspector General), grievance administrators, and the news media — may not be read or copied by staff. Incoming special correspondence is inspected for contraband in the detainee’s presence; outgoing special correspondence is not opened, inspected or read, and if a need exists, any inspection takes place in the detainee’s presence. The standard limits any inspection to detecting physical contraband and confirming that enclosures qualify as special correspondence. Mail counts as special correspondence only if the envelope unambiguously identifies the title and office of the sender (incoming mail) or of the addressee (outgoing mail); PBNDS 2011 also requires the envelope to be labeled “special correspondence” or “legal mail.” Under that standard, ordinary letters do not carry the special-correspondence protection. 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. The deposit route, the accepted form of payment, and the number to call for this facility 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

From ICE’s page for Coastal Bend (checked October 16, 2026):

• Letters must include the last four digits of 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 by mail: funds a detainee receives in the mail are taken to the processing area and placed into the detainee’s account; the processing officer provides a receipt for all funds received. ICE adds that detainees “are cautioned not to have cash sent to them in the mail.”
• Packages: a detainee may receive only items determined to be of necessity for the sole purpose of travel or release from custody, with approval of the ICE Deportation Officer. ICE says package approval comes from the Deportation Officer at the Corpus Christi Sub Office at (361) 879-4401, and lists the Property Officer at 361-767-3400 ext. 326.
• Stamps: ICE adds: “Generally, there is no limit to the amount of correspondence detainees may send at their own expense” (checked October 19, 2026). Detainees may buy stamps; 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 hotline is 1-800-898-7180, which works by A-number. 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. For people who cannot afford an attorney, the immigration court can provide a list of pro bono legal service providers; related resources are listed below.

Booking legal visits, video calls, and legal calls

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

• In-person attorney visits: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; ICE says extended hours are requested from the facility at (361) 767-3400. Legal service providers can call that number during business hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Federal Holidays) to schedule attorney visits or any electronic exchange of documents.
• G-28s can be submitted through ERO eFile. Facility staff do not have access to it, so legal representatives should download copies of the submitted G-28 for any in-person or remote legal visit.
• Video teleconference (Zoom) meetings and confidential legal calls are requested by email to cbintake@geogroup.com or by dialing (361) 767-3400; a Coastal Bend staff member emails back with a confirmed date and time. Appointments should be made 24 hours before the desired time, are scheduled 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday in 30 to 60-minute increments, and the number of requests is not limited, but no representative may have more than one 60-minute appointment with a detainee in a single day.
• The email should give the representative’s full name and contact details (phone and email), the detainee’s name and A-number, a few proposed dates and times, a scan of the representative’s government-issued ID, a scan of documentation showing active legal-representative status (such as a state bar card, attorney license or paralegal license), and the G-28 unless the meeting is pre-representational. A legal assistant joining alone 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 take part — no family or friends; outside interpretation services may be contacted during the session. A visitation officer stays outside the room, out of earshot but within eyeshot, and knocks 5 minutes before the cut-off time.
• Legal fax: (361) 767-1567. ICE says that “when timely communication through the mail is not possible, the facility administrator may, in his discretion” allow a reasonable amount of communication. The cover sheet must give the detainee’s name, A-number and total number of pages. Incoming faxes are hand-delivered by an ICE designee in an envelope and inspected for contraband in the detainee’s presence; the documents are not read. ICE cites PBNDS 2011 Sections 5.1 and 5.7 for this inspection procedure (checked October 19, 2026).
• Case information: requests go to Harlingen.Outreach@ice.dhs.gov; this mailbox does not accept applications for Stay of Removal or Case Appeals.
• Identifying a client’s Deportation Officer: ICE lists the Corpus Christi Sub Office at (361) 879-4401; a G-28 must be on file for any information to be disclosed.
• A list of pro bono legal organizations is posted in all housing units and updated quarterly; ICE says contacting them for an appointment is the detainee’s responsibility.

Feedback, complaints, and oversight

Concerns about conditions at this facility or the conduct of an ICE or contract employee can be reported to the ERO Harlingen Field Office that oversees this facility, or filed as 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 (checked October 16, 2026) adds these channels:

• Comments on service, or a misconduct complaint to the field office: Field Office Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 9149 HWY 44, Corpus Christi, TX 78406.
• 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, as listed on ICE’s page: DHS Office of Inspector General, Attn: Office of Investigations - Hotline, 245 Murray Drive, Building 410 Stop: 2600, Washington, DC 20528; fax (202) 245-5217; DHSOIGHOTLINE@DHS.GOV.

A news reporter who wants to interview someone held here must apply in writing to the Harlingen Field Office of ERO, indicating familiarity with and agreement to comply with the facility rules and regulations provided by staff. ICE says a detainee has the right not to be interviewed, photographed or recorded, and the reporter must first obtain the detainee’s written permission.

ICE inspection record

• February 2025 ODO report: ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight (ODO), part of ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility, issued Compliance Inspection 2025-006-064 for the “Coastal Bend Detention Facility,” dated February 4, 2025 (ODO report). It is an ODO Assisted Self-Inspection (OASIP) with findings organized by the National Detention Standards (NDS) 2019. Under this process, introduced in FY 2025, the facility has 30 calendar days to complete the inspection, and ODO staff go on site toward the end of that window to observe conditions, interview ICE detainees and spot-check the facility’s reported findings (per ICE’s February 2025 inspection).
• Earlier annual inspection (January 2020): The Nakamoto Group, Inc. inspected Coastal Bend on January 7–9, 2020 for compliance with ICE’s Performance-Based National Detention Standards (PBNDS) 2008 (inspection report). That report calls it an IGSA facility owned and operated by The GEO Group, Inc., which also provided medical and food services, with no co-payment charged for medical or mental health care. At the time it housed adult male and female USMS detainees and ICE detainees of all classification levels, kept apart from non-ICE populations; the ICE population had been reduced to people rolled over from USMS custody, who were moved from the facility within 24 to 48 hours. It was accredited by the American Correctional Association and under PREA, not by NCCHC or The Joint Commission.
• 2020 findings: recommended rating Meets Standards (the same as in January 2019); 37 standards met, none found Does Not Meet Standards, 4 not applicable. The team found four deficient components in four standards: Staff-Detainee Communications (1), Food Service (1), Telephone Access (1) and Visitation (1, a priority component). The visitation finding: ICE detainee visitation was then scheduled from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday only, with thirty minutes per visit. The schedule on ICE’s current page (above) differs. Detainees interviewed voiced no complaints.
• Earlier ODO inspections: ICE’s ODO facility inspections page (checked October 19, 2026) also lists these Coastal Bend inspections:
  • February 6–8, 2018 (listed as “Coastal Bend Detention Center”)
  • February 25–27, 2020
  • January 11–14, 2021
  • June 14–18, 2021 (listed as a follow-up)
• Other ODO reports published for Coastal Bend:
  • February 6–8, 2024: special review
  • June 6–8, 2023: follow-up compliance inspection
  • December 6–8, 2022: compliance inspection
  • July 12–14, 2022: compliance 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 Texas
• Other ICE detention facilities in Texas
• All facilities under the Harlingen Field Office