State: WA · #19
Western District of Washington
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · Reviewed: 2026-09-27
Only linked fields checked; other fields remain unverified.
If someone is detained, seek legal help promptly.
A transfer can make contact with family and counsel harder. Families may learn of a transfer only after it happens. Record the last confirmed location, when it was confirmed, and who provided the information. Do not wait for a locator update to ask for help.
A missing search result does not establish that someone was released or moved to a particular place. Records may be missing or change. Contact counsel and request information through the facility’s or ICE’s official channels.
Locator results may be incomplete. Reporting published September 21, 2026 indicated that some people with final removal orders may no longer appear in ICE’s online locator. The practice was not announced and may change. A missing result does not confirm release, transfer, or removal (checked 2026-09-27). Read the AP report (opens in a new tab)
A lawyer can assess where a petition belongs and whether to request urgent court action. Filing a petition or contacting an office does not guarantee that a transfer will stop or that someone will be released.
Prepare legal contacts, documents and a trusted contact in advance. When contacting an office, explain the facts, the last confirmed location and the reason for urgency clearly and respectfully.
Community guide for when ICE arrests someone (opens in a new tab)
If someone is asked to accept or sign something while detained
Before agreeing, signing, or giving up a right, try to speak with an immigration lawyer or an independent help line. Ask what the document is and what it means. Detention pressure can make it harder to gather evidence, prepare for a hearing, and obtain counsel. Options and deadlines depend on the case; this page does not advise accepting, refusing, or signing any specific document.
More information about signing deportation documents (opens in a new tab)
Why location and timing matter
For a challenge to current detention, the place of confinement when filing is generally central. The initial arrest location alone does not determine the court. Transfers, exceptions and circuit rules need legal review. This site does not decide where a case should be filed.
Rumsfeld v. Padilla: general rule and exceptions (opens in a new tab) · Official ICE locator (opens in a new tab)
Find legal help
National Immigration Legal Services Directory (opens in a new tab)Ready to Stay (opens in a new tab)
Check court information
Western District of Washington court (opens in a new tab)Official court information
Only linked fields checked; other fields remain unverified. Court homepage (opens in a new tab)
- Court form or guide
- Court form or guide (opens in a new tab)
- Court Spanish form
- Not yet verified from this court. Check the court website or ask its clerk.
- Filing information
- The court packet permits mail, email to the new-cases address, or its online pro se immigration filing process. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Filing address or email
- Clerk, U.S. District Court, 700 Stewart Street, Suite 2310, Seattle, WA 98101; newcases.seattle@wawd.uscourts.gov. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Fee and fee waiver
- $5 or the court’s habeas IFP application; the packet includes payment and account-certification instructions. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Orders and programs
- Court general order on immigration habeas petitions. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Legal-aid packet
- Not yet verified from this court. Check the court website or ask its clerk.
National AO 242 form (check local court rules before use) (opens in a new tab)
Family preparedness for this state
National resources
- CLINIC — 50-state preparedness resource directory (opens in a new tab) — Find additional state and national resources; check each linked form’s state requirements.
- ILRC family plan (opens in a new tab) — Family planning in several languages. Its caregiver affidavit and joint guardianship options are California-specific; other states differ.
- Informed Immigrant — prepare your family (opens in a new tab) — Planning guidance for contacts, records and children’s care.
- CLINIC — find legal help through its affiliate directory (opens in a new tab) — Search CLINIC’s nonprofit affiliate directory by state and confirm current detention-case capacity directly with the provider.
- National Immigration Law Center — Know Your Rights if arrested or detained (opens in a new tab) — Plain-language guidance for people who are arrested or detained for immigration reasons.
Resources by state
National resources are a starting point; check your state’s rules and forms. These guides help with family safety and care planning; they do not by themselves authorize filing a petition for another person.
Search by facility name, then confirm the current or last known place of custody and the correct court with a lawyer or clerk. Search results do not confirm where someone is held.