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Overview
- No ICE detention facility is within 150 miles of Gulfport, so a relative arrested on the coast is usually held at Pine Prairie, Jena or Natchez.
- Gulfport families can locate a detained relative with the ICE online detainee locator, which usually reflects a transfer within a day or two.
- Bond hearings for people held at Pine Prairie, Winn or Allen Parish are at Oakdale; those held at Jena, Richwood or Adams County are at LaSalle.
- After release on bond, a Gulfport relative's deportation case can move to the New Orleans Immigration Court, about 80 miles from the coast.
- Phone
- (228) 831-0025
- Reviewed
- October 19, 2026
Where ICE takes people arrested on the Mississippi Gulf Coast
ICE's New Orleans field office covers all of Mississippi and lists no sub-office on the coast, so an arrest in Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula or Bay St. Louis is followed by a transfer. There is no ICE detention facility within 150 miles of Gulfport. The first task is finding the person. The ICE online detainee locator works with an A-number, or with a full name, country of birth and date of birth, and it usually catches up with a transfer within a day or two. Until then the family often hears nothing, so call us with whatever information you have. The facilities that hold Gulf Coast residents are in Louisiana and in Natchez:
- Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center, 1133 Hampton Dupre Road, Pine Prairie, LA 70576, (337) 599-2198
- Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center, 830 Pine Hill Road, Jena, LA 71342, (318) 992-7800
- Adams County Correctional Center, 20 Hobo Forks Road, Natchez, MS 39120, (601) 304-3003
- Richwood Correctional Center, 180 Pine Bayou Circle, Monroe, LA 71202, (318) 325-8409
- Winn Correctional Center, 560 Gum Springs Road, Winnfield, LA 71483, (318) 628-3971
- Allen Parish Public Safety Complex, 7340 Highway 26 W, Oberlin, LA 70655
The bond hearing is separate from the deportation case and is held at the court that covers the facility. People held at Pine Prairie, Winn or Allen Parish have their bond hearings at the Oakdale Immigration Court, 1900 East Whatley Road, Oakdale, LA 71463. People held at Jena, Richwood or Adams County appear at the LaSalle Immigration Court, 830 Pine Hill Road, Jena, LA 71342, inside the Jena facility. The judge decides two questions: whether the person is a danger to the community and whether they are likely to appear for future hearings. The evidence that answers those questions comes from the family on the coast: proof of years of residence, a lease or mortgage, employment letters, U.S. citizen children's birth certificates, tax returns, letters from a church or employer, and the certified disposition of any arrest. The judge sets the amount; there is a statutory minimum and no maximum. We prepare that packet in days, not weeks, and appear at the hearing in person or by video as the court allows.
Not everyone can be bonded. ICE makes the first custody decision, and the judge can review it for most people. Some cannot be bonded by a judge at all: people with certain criminal convictions, people whose prior removal order is being reinstated, and people arriving at a port of entry. Since 2025 the government has also taken the position that many people who entered without inspection, regardless of how long ago, are not eligible for a bond from the immigration judge. Courts have reached different conclusions on that question, and whether it applies to your relative depends on how and when they entered. We check that before anything else, because it determines whether the request goes to the judge, to ICE, or to a federal court.
Bond cases we handle from Gulfport
- A husband arrested at a traffic stop in Gulfport and transferred to Pine Prairie, with a bond hearing at the Oakdale court
- A father of U.S. citizen children in Biloxi held at Jena, whose family can document fifteen years on the coast
- A seafood-plant worker in Pascagoula detained during a worksite enforcement action and moved to Adams County in Natchez
- A man ICE refused to release whose family needs the judge to review the custody decision
- The spouse of a Seabee at NCBC Gulfport who was detained and may be able to show both bond eligibility and a path to parole in place
- A relative with an old DUI conviction whose eligibility for bond depends on how the conviction is classified
- A person whose bond was set too high for the family to pay and who needs a motion to lower it
- A detainee released on bond whose case must be moved from Oakdale to the New Orleans court
Sound like your situation? Request a consultation or call (228) 831-0025.
How we handle a bond case from Gulfport
Locate and assess
We find the person through the ICE detainee locator, identify the facility and the court, and check the entry history and criminal record for anything that bars a judge from setting bond.
Request the hearing
We file the bond request with the Oakdale or LaSalle court the same day, or ask ICE to review custody where the judge cannot, and calendar the hearing date.
Build the packet
We gather the family's proof of residence, employment, U.S. citizen relatives, tax filings, community ties and the disposition of any arrest, with a sponsor letter from the person who will house the detainee.
The hearing
We appear before the immigration judge, in person or by video, and argue that the person is neither a danger nor a flight risk and that the amount should be one the family can pay.
Payment, release and venue
We guide the obligor through payment, confirm the release from the Louisiana facility, and move the deportation case to the New Orleans court so the defense continues close to home.
Questions from Gulfport clients
Can you get my husband out of Pine Prairie?
Often, yes. People held at Pine Prairie have bond hearings at the Oakdale Immigration Court, and we can request one the same day we are retained. Whether the judge can set bond depends on his criminal record and on how he entered the country, and we check both first. If the judge cannot, we ask ICE to release him, and in some cases a federal court.
My relative was arrested in Gulfport. Where are they?
Probably in Louisiana or at Adams County in Natchez. There is no ICE detention facility within 150 miles of the coast, so people arrested in Harrison or Jackson County are transferred, most often to Pine Prairie or Jena. The ICE online detainee locator shows the facility once the transfer is processed, usually within a day or two, and we check it for you.
How much is an immigration bond?
The judge decides based on the risk that the person will not appear and on any danger to the community. There is a minimum set by law and no maximum, and amounts vary widely from case to case. Strong proof of family, work and years of residence on the coast is what brings the number down.
How much does an immigration bond lawyer cost in Gulfport?
Consultations with our Gulfport office are available in person, by phone or by video, in English and Spanish, and fees are discussed at the consultation.
How long until the bond hearing?
Usually within a few weeks of the request at the Oakdale and LaSalle courts, and sometimes sooner. The packet of evidence has to be ready by then, so the family's job in the first days is gathering documents while we file the request.
Who can pay the bond, and how?
A U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident with valid identification can act as the obligor. ICE accepts payment through its online bond system or at an ERO office, not in cash. The obligor is responsible for making sure the person appears at every hearing and receives the refund at the end of the case.
What happens after the bond is paid?
The person is released from the facility and the deportation case continues on the non-detained docket. We file a motion to change venue to the New Orleans Immigration Court, about 80 miles from Gulfport, and the removal defense, whether cancellation, asylum, adjustment or a waiver, proceeds there.
Can ICE refuse to let the judge set bond?
For some people, yes. Certain convictions, a prior removal order being reinstated, and, under the position the government has taken since 2025, entry without inspection can put a person outside the judge's bond authority. Those rules have been applied differently by different courts. We review the record and tell you which route is open before filing.
What if the judge denies bond or sets it too high?
We can appeal the decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals and, if circumstances change, ask the court for a new hearing. When the amount is the problem, additional evidence of ties to the coast and a sponsor who can house the person supports a motion to reduce it.
Do I need to go to Jena or Oakdale for the hearing?
No. We appear for the detained person, and the family's participation is through the evidence packet and, when it helps, a sworn declaration or testimony by phone or video as the court allows. Visiting hours at each facility are separate from the court process.
Every case is different — these answers are general information, not legal advice about your situation. For advice about your case, call (228) 831-0025 or request a consultation.