If your husband, daughter or coworker was just detained by ICE, or you have a removal hearing coming up, or an asylum deadline you're terrified of missing, every hour matters. Immigration is federal law and it moves fast: bond hearings at Adelanto and Otay Mesa, the one-year asylum filing limit, the 30-day BIA appeal clock counted by receipt. You don't need to wait for an office to open or pass an income test. Call 1-844-690-0555 right now, free, 24/7, in English or Spanish. Our AI assistant is trained on U.S. immigration law and California's sanctuary rules and will tell you the first move to make tonight. This is free legal information, not legal advice. Legal Hotline is not a law firm and not a public defender.
Free legal information. Not legal advice. Available 24/7 across California.
If someone was just detained, your first job is to locate them and not let anyone sign anything. Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator (locator.ice.gov) with their full name and country of birth, or A-number if you have it. California detainees are usually held at Adelanto, Otay Mesa, Mesa Verde or the Golden State Annex. Do NOT let them sign a 'voluntary departure' or stipulated removal form without talking to someone first: signing can give up a bond hearing and trigger a multi-year bar on returning. Write down their A-number (the 9-digit 'alien number' on any ICE paperwork) because you'll need it for everything. Then call 1-844-690-0555 for free information on bond eligibility and what to do in the first 48 hours.
Two California-specific things ruin cases before they start. First: asylum has a one-year deadline from your last U.S. arrival to file Form I-589 (INA 208). People wait, gather documents, 'get settled', and lose the right entirely. If you arrived close to a year ago, the clock is the emergency, not the paperwork. Second: if a loved one is at Adelanto or Otay Mesa and ICE says 'no bond' because they entered without inspection, that may not be the last word, but the law is in flux. The Maldonado Bautista case out of the Central District of California found blanket no-bond detention unlawful; in late March 2026 the Ninth Circuit stayed the nationwide order, so right now it most clearly helps people detained in the Central District. Whether you can get a bond hearing can turn on where you're held. This is information, not legal advice, and we're not your lawyers, but a free call to 1-844-690-0555 tells you which clock is ticking on your case tonight.
California funds more free immigration legal help than almost any state, and there's a real grassroots layer for ICE-raid response, especially in the border counties and Spanish-speaking communities. These are verified, no-cost or low-cost starting points. Free information on which one fits your situation is always a call away at 1-844-690-0555.
ICE just detained my husband in California. How do I find out where he is?
Use ICE's Online Detainee Locator (locator.ice.gov) with his full name and country of birth, or his A-number if you have it. California detainees are usually held at Adelanto, Otay Mesa, Mesa Verde or the Golden State Annex. Write down his A-number from any paperwork because you'll need it for everything. For free information on locating him and what the first 48 hours look like, call 1-844-690-0555 any time, day or night. Hablamos espanol.
Can I get someone out of immigration detention on bond in California?
Often yes. Under INA 236 you can ask an immigration judge for a bond hearing, and bonds commonly run from the $1,500 minimum to $10,000 or more, set on flight risk and danger. For people who entered without inspection and were told 'no bond,' the Maldonado Bautista case found blanket no-bond detention unlawful, but the Ninth Circuit stayed the nationwide order in March 2026, so that relief most clearly helps people detained in the Central District of California right now. Whether it applies can turn on where your loved one is held. Call 1-844-690-0555 for free information on bond eligibility in your situation.
How long do I have to apply for asylum in California?
Generally one year from your last arrival in the U.S. to file Form I-589 (INA 208), with only narrow exceptions for changed or extraordinary circumstances. This deadline blindsides more people than any other, and waiting to 'gather documents' can cost you the right entirely. If you arrived close to a year ago, the clock is the emergency. Call 1-844-690-0555 now for free information on where your deadline stands.
Do California's sanctuary laws protect me from ICE?
Partly. The California Values Act (SB 54) and TRUST Act limit when state and local police can hold you for ICE or do ICE's investigative work, protections most states don't have. But they do NOT stop ICE itself from detaining or deporting you, and they aren't legal advice about your specific case. To understand what these laws actually mean for your situation, call 1-844-690-0555 for free information in English or Spanish.
I missed my immigration court hearing in California. Can I still do anything?
Possibly. If you missed a master calendar hearing you may have been ordered removed 'in absentia,' but you can file a motion to reopen: within 180 days if 'exceptional circumstances' kept you away, or at any time if you never properly received notice (often because of a wrong address on file). Speed matters enormously. Call 1-844-690-0555 right away for free information on whether and how fast you can move to reopen.
Which court handles my deportation case in California, the Superior Court?
No. Immigration is federal, so removal, asylum and bond are heard by EOIR immigration judges. In California that's Los Angeles, San Francisco, Adelanto, San Diego/Otay Mesa, Imperial or Sacramento, not Superior Court. Appeals go to the Board of Immigration Appeals and then the Ninth Circuit. Superior Court only matters for narrow things like certain U-visa certifications, SIJS predicate orders, or vacating a conviction. For free information on which court you're in, call 1-844-690-0555.
Is there free immigration legal help in California?
Yes. California funds free removal defense and immigration legal services through the One California / ISF program, more generously than almost any state. The official starting point is the California Dept. of Social Services, and groups like ILRC, CHIRLA, ImmDef and Casa Cornelia provide free or pro bono help. To find out which fits your case, call 1-844-690-0555 for free information. There's no income test to call us.
Can I still renew my DACA in California in 2026?
Yes, renewals are still being accepted and processed in 2026, even though courts have blocked approval of first-time applications and narrowed the DACA injunction. File your renewal roughly 120-150 days before your work permit (EAD) expires so you don't fall out of status, because letting it lapse can cost you your work authorization. Call 1-844-690-0555 for free information on your DACA renewal timing and what to file.
My family member is at Adelanto and was told 'no bond.' Is that final?
Maybe not, but the law is unsettled. Blanket no-bond detention of people who entered without inspection was challenged in the Maldonado Bautista case out of the Central District of California, which found it unlawful, but the Ninth Circuit stayed the nationwide order in March 2026. Right now that ruling most clearly helps people detained in the Central District, which includes Adelanto. So 'no bond' is not necessarily the last word, but it depends on the current state of the case and where they're held. Call 1-844-690-0555 for free information on whether a bond hearing may be available.
I was a victim of a crime or domestic violence. Can that help my immigration case?
It might. A U visa (INA 101(a)(15)(U)) is for crime victims who help law enforcement and needs a certification (Form I-918, Supplement B); a T visa is for trafficking survivors; and VAWA (INA 204(a)) lets an abused spouse or child of a citizen or resident self-petition without the abuser knowing. These are powerful but document-heavy paths. For free information on whether you might qualify, call 1-844-690-0555. Hablamos espanol.
We connect frightened, urgent callers across California, from Los Angeles and San Diego to the Central Valley and the Bay Area, with licensed immigration attorneys who can take removal defense, bond, asylum, family petition and humanitarian cases. If you're a California-licensed immigration lawyer, especially one who works in Spanish or covers the border counties around Otay Mesa and Imperial, we'd like to add you to the attorneys we match callers with. Express your interest and we'll be in touch as we expand California coverage.
General legal information, not legal advice. We research every page from primary sources — legislation, the courts, and government legal-aid bodies — and check it for accuracy. Spotted something out of date? Tell us at admin@platfirm.ai.
Whether someone was just detained at Adelanto or Otay Mesa, an asylum one-year deadline is closing in, or you have a removal hearing you don't understand, the worst move is to wait and hope. Immigration law is federal, fast, and unforgiving of missed deadlines, but the first answer is free and available right now, 24/7, in English or Spanish. Call 1-844-690-0555 to speak with our AI assistant trained on U.S. immigration and California sanctuary law. This is free legal information, not legal advice, and creates no attorney-client relationship. Legal Hotline is not a law firm and not a public defender. Just real help, the moment you need it.
Free legal information. Not legal advice.