IMPORTANT NOTE:

Humane Borders is grateful to immigrant advocacy groups Derechos Humanos and No More Deaths for the life-saving information provided on their websites. All of the information found on this page is borrowed  from “How to Find a Missing Migrant” located at https://derechoshumanosaz.net/how-to-find-a-missing-migrant/ and from No More Deaths webpages located at http://forms.nomoredeaths.org/searching-for-someone-missing-at-the-border/search-and-rescue-emergencies-steps-to-take/

What to do if someone you know is missing.

Three Possible Scenarios.

1) Search & Rescue (person has been missing for 3 days or less);
2) Someone may be in Detention (person has been missing for less than a month);
3) Someone may have Died while Crossing. (You haven’t been able to locate the person for more than 30 days).

1) Search and Rescue Mission

Lost on the U.S. side of the border: This is for someone you know who has gone missing and who you think is lost in the desert right now. Their most recent communication with you or someone else was made within the last three days.

    • If the person crossed the border into California: Call 760-521-3768 to get help from  Águilas del Desierto at 760-521-3768.


Lost on the Mexican side of the border: Click on the following link to follow steps listed on the No More Deaths website for someone lost or missing in Mexico.

If you’re still in phone contact with the person, you should

One: Tell them that the best chances of pinpointing their location and to increase their chances of rescue is for them to call 911. You should also advise the lost person that calling 911 will alert law enforcement agencies, including the Border Patrol, as well as the emergency-response system. The call to 911 is free and will go through even on a Mexican phone. They should repeat the call until they are able to connect to someone and until they are told that a rescue is being sent.

Two: Obtain as much information as you can from the person about their current location and everything that they can remember about getting there. Advise them to carefully conserve the battery life in their phone and to only move from their location if they know that it will better their situation; for example, walking to a traveled road or water source that they can see from their current location.

 

2) Locating Someone Who May Be in Detention

Step One: Call the consulate of the country of origin of the missing person. 

Call the consulate that is located closest to the place where they attempted to cross.  If the consulate doesn’t answer or is unhelpful, call others.

You will need the full name and birth date of the missing person. Often the consulate will only provide information to an immediate family member such as a parent, sibling, spouse, or child. Click here for a Complete Directory of border consulates of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

Mexico Consulates

Click here for the Nationwide 24-hour hotline.  From within the U.S. dial 855-463-6395.  From Mexico dial 001-520-623-7874.

Guatemala Consulates 

For Tucson, Arizona  520-798-2217 or 520-398-6912
For Phoenix, Arizona 602-200-3660
For California 213-365-9251
For McAllen, Texas 956-429-3413
For Houston, Texas 713-953-9531

 

Honduras Consulates

For California   213-995-6406
For McAllen, Texas   956-627-3172
For Houston, Texas   713-785-5932
For Dallas, Texas   972-986-5512 or 972-986-5513

The Dallas consulate is charged with looking into cases in Arizona.

Nicaragua Consulates

For California              213-252-1170
For Texas              713-789-2762

 

El Salvador Consulates

For Tucson, Arizona                      520-318-0410
For McAllen, Texas                      956-800-1363
For Houston, Texas                      346-571-5198
For California                      213-234-9200


Step Two:

You will need access to a computer and internet. Check these online detainee locators:

1). Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

2). Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)

Instructions for using these online locators:

Type only the first and last name (and for ICE, also the country of origin) and leave the other fields blank that are not required. If your first attempt fails to locate the person using just their first and last name (and for ICE, the country of origin), only then should you try again filling in any known information for the other fields.

Two-part last names are usually connected with a hyphen (example: Morales-López) but try them with and without the hyphen, in reverse order, and with any common misspellings. This will help you find the person even if there was an error when the name was entered.

Next Steps:

It has been the experience of Derechos Humanos and No More Deaths immigrant advocates that even after consulting the consulate and using online locators and not meeting with success, missing persons have been found in detention centers across the border by calling 1), U.S. Marshals; 2), ICE offices, or 3), different detention centers directly.

U.S. Marshals: 

Call US Marshals and ask if your family member is in their custody. Remember that you have a right to know where your family member is, and that you do not need to respond to questions about your citizenship status or location.

For California: Dial 213-894-6820

For Phoenix, Arizona: Dial 602-382-8768 (Press 0)

For Tucson, Arizona: Dial 520-879-6900 (Press 0)

For Texas: Dial 713-718-4800

Click here for a complete list of U.S. Marshals Offices.

ICE:  

Call ICE to ask if your family member is in their custody. Again, remember that you have a right to know where your family member is, and that you do not have to answer questions about your citizenship status or location.

National ICE number: (888) 351-4024

For California: (213) 830-7911

For Arizona: (602) 766-7030

For Florence, Arizona: (520) 868-8383

For Eloy, Arizona: (520) 464-3000

For Dallas, Texas: (214) 424-7800

For Houston, Texas: (281) 774-4816

For El Paso, Texas: (915) 225-1901

For San Antonio, Texas: (210) 283-4750

 Missing Mothers & Children

If your loved one is a mother traveling with children through Texas, call the Karnes County Residential Center 830-254-2000.

Missing Minors (Persons Under 18 years of Age)

Call the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) at 1-800-203-7001 seven days a week, between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. E.S.T.  A family member must call this number and leave a message with the information about the person they are looking for.  You will receive a call back from the minor if they are in custody.

The full process is as follows:

    • All migrants under 18 will eventually be transferred from Customs Border Protection (CBP) holding to an undisclosed military base or to an Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) facility.
    • Parents are to call the hotline (1-800-203-7001) and give the operator the Name, DOB, COB of their child, and a phone number where the parents can be contacted.
    • Know that even if the caller is a parent, the operator will NOT tell them if their child is in CBP custody or if the child has been transferred to a military base or ORR facility.
    • If the child is in ORR custody, the operator will then pass that information along to the Case Manager.
    • ORR Case Managers must confirm the caller’s relationship with the child before contacting the parents.

 

3) Instructions for Locating Someone Who May Have Passed Away While Crossing:

It is very sad to say, but it is the experience of Derechos Humanos and No More Deaths workers who are familiar with the search process that if your loved one has been missing for more than one month, it is likely time to begin the process of searching for them through the forensics system. We are so sorry that your loved one is missing and you fear that they may have passed away. Here is information for two important organizations who help families search through the forensics system.

For Arizona, contact the Colibri Center for Human Rights.

Although focused in Arizona, the Colibri Center helps families search available forensic systems within the United States and across the border. Click on the above link or call 520-724-8644 and leave a message. They will get back to you to begin the process. Please be aware that Colibri may have a heavy caseload and that it may take up to 4 weeks for them to call you back, but they are very dedicated to their mission and will call you. 

For South Texas, contact the South Texas Human Rights Center .

To contact the offices of medical examiners directly:

For California:  San Diego County Medical Examiner (858) 694-2895

For Arizona: Pima County Medical Examiner (520) 724-8600

For El Paso: El Paso County Medical Examiner (915) 532-1447

For Laredo, Texas, Brooks County, and Falfurrias, Texas: Webb County Medical Examiner at (956) 722-7054 

For the most southerly point of Texas, the following two numbers are for possible river drowning deaths:

For McAllen, Texas: Medical Examiner: (956) 292-7014

For Brownsville, Texas: Medical Examiner (956) 389-1920

If your family member sadly does not appear in the system after a few weeks of searching, Derechos Humanos recommends beginning the process of DNA sampling. Colibri and the South Texas Human Rights Center may be able to help you in this process. You may also contact the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (EAAF). The EAAF may be especially helpful if close family members are living outside of the U.S. The EAAF takes DNA samples from people all over the world and is not connected to any government body. For the New York office call 718-237-2028.

References

Coalición de Derechos Humanos. (2019). How to Find a Missing Migrant. Retrieved from https://derechoshumanosaz.net/how-to-find-a-missing-migrant/

No More Deaths. (n.d.) Search-and-rescue missions on the U.S. border. Retrieved from http://forms.nomoredeaths.org/searching-for-someone-missing-at-the-border/search-and-rescue-emergencies-steps-to-take/

 

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