West Texas Detention Facility

The West Texas Detention Facility is an ICE detention facility that is located in Sierra Blanca, Texas. This facility houses male and female detainees who are in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

The ICE field office that works with the West Texas Detention Facility is located in El Paso, Texas. If you need information about an ICE detainee housed in this facility, call (915) 369-2269/70/71/72 between the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

You must have the detainee's information ready when you call, including their full name (first, last, and hyphenated), any known aliases, date of birth, and country of birth.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visiting hours at West Texas Detention Facility are as follows:

• Male Visits are on Friday and Saturday 8am – 5pm
• Female Visits are on Sunday and Monday 8am - 5pm

General Rules

Adult visitors must have a valid, government-issued photo ID to enter the visiting room. Minors must be accompanied by an adult at all times. You must arrive 30 minutes ahead of your scheduled visiting time to process through security.

All visitors are subject to a pat-down search, an inspection of their belongings, and a metal scan search. Visitors are not allowed to carry any items into the visiting area, or give any items to detainees. 

All visits are non-contact and can last a maximum of 30 minutes. A maximum of two visitors are allowed at any one time.

Attorney Visits

Attorneys and/or paralegals are allowed to visit detainees 24/7, including weekends and holidays, unless there is an emergency at the West Texas Detention Facility.

Consular Visits

Consular officials are allowed to meet with their detained nationals at any time. If possible, arrangements should be made in advance by calling the ICE Supervisory Deportation officer at (915) 225-0700/0717. All consular officials should bring appropriate credentials. 

Clergy Visits

Clergy are allowed to visit detainees housed at West Texas Detention Facility at any time. Arrangements should be made in advance through the chaplain's office.

You must include the detainee's name and alien number in the mailing address of all detainee mail. Also, include your name and address in the envelope's "return address" section, or the mail will not be given to the detainee. Staff does not read incoming inmate mail, but they do check it for contraband.

Sending Packages

Detainees are not allowed to receive care packages. However, with the approval of the ICE Deportation Officer, they are allowed to receive items that are considered necessary for travel or release from agency custody. Before sending packages to detainees, contact the warden at:

P.O. Box 430
401 S. Vaquero Street
Sierra Blanca, Texas 79851

Detainees who are being removed from the United States are allowed to have one small piece of luggage, weighing up to 40 pounds. If a detainee does not already have baggage, they may have one bag sent after receiving approval from the Supervisory Detention and Deportation Officer. 

Electronic devices (cell phones, electric razors, laptop computers, radios, etc.) cannot be included in the detainee's luggage for security reasons.

How to Call an Inmate

Detainees housed at the West Texas Detention Facility can't receive incoming calls. To leave an urgent message, you must call (915) 369-2269/70/71/72 and leave the detainee’s full name, alien registration number and your name and telephone number where you can be reached. The detainee will be given your message.

How to Send Money

To send money to a detainee at West Texas Detention Facility, mail a money order or cashier's check directly to the detainee. Do not send cash. Mail the cashier's check or money order to:

West Texas Detention Facility
Detainee Full Name and Alien Number
401 S. Vaquero Avenue
Sierra Blanca, TX 79851
United States

To Post a Delivery Bond

When a detainee in ICE custody is placed into removal proceedings while they are in the United States, a delivery bond may be posted. When you post a delivery bond, you are required to show proof of identity.

Bonds for aliens detained by ICE can be posted at ICE ERO bond acceptance offices nationwide, Monday through Friday, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., local time. For a list of ICE ERO bond acceptance offices nearest you or for bond information, click here. You must have the last name of the detainee and their alien registration number before calling. 

Acceptable forms of payment for a delivery bond are money orders, cashier's checks, and certified checks. Payments must be made payable to “U.S. Department of Homeland Security” or “Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”

Programs For Inmates

This information is not publicly available.

Pictures of West Texas Detention Facility

Careers at West Texas Detention Facility

If you are interested in a career with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and would like more information about job openings at West Texas Detention Facility, click here.