What are "ICE holds"?

ICE holds refer specifically to requests made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to local law enforcement agencies to detain individuals who are suspected of being in the U.S. unlawfully. This allows ICE to assume custody of an individual after they have been arrested for another reason, typically a local or state offense. The purpose of these holds is to ensure that those individuals can be processed for potential deportation proceedings based on their immigration status.

This mechanism is often put into practice when someone encounters the criminal justice system, allowing federal immigration authorities to take action against individuals who may not have legal status in the U.S. The ability for ICE to place these holds can lead to significant implications for individuals caught in this process, affecting their immigration status and access to due process.

Other options do not align with the legal definitions and functions of ICE holds. Requests to charities, official notices about immigration status, or programs for adjusting status serve different purposes within the immigration system and do not involve the detention of individuals based on legal status allegations.