San Diego, Otay Mesa or Imperial: Which Immigration Court Has a Detained or Released Case

San Diego’s immigration court is downtown, in the federal building at 880 Front Street. The Otay Mesa court sits inside a DHS-controlled detention facility and hears detained cases. The Imperial court hears cases from the Imperial Regional Detention Facility, though it is not located there. Release from detention is not a venue order: Follow the newest notice, and do not assume the case has moved until a new notice or a judge’s order says so.

Three courts, two counties

All three are immigration courts of the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), separate from ICE and USCIS.

• San Diego: 880 Front Street, Suite 4240, San Diego, CA 92101, in the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building; (619) 510-4500.
• Otay Mesa: 7488 Calzada de la Fuente, San Diego, CA 92154; mailing address P.O. Box 438150, San Ysidro, CA 92143-8150; (619) 661-5600.
• Imperial: 2409 La Brucherie Road, Imperial, CA 92251; (760) 370-5200.

EOIR’s administrative control list shows how cases are divided. Under the San Diego court it lists the DHS San Diego district office, the San Ysidro port of entry, the California City Correctional Center and Donovan state prison, so do not assume the downtown court hears only released cases. Under Otay Mesa it lists DHS detention sites, and it says Imperial handles all Calexico cases outside the Migrant Protection Protocols, along with the Imperial Regional Detention Facility.

When someone is detained

Finding the person and finding the case are two searches. Use ICE’s Online Detainee Locator to look for someone in ICE custody or in CBP custody for more than 48 hours. It does not search for children under 18. EOIR’s Automated Case Information system, also at 1-800-898-7180, shows the court and next hearing for the most recent case on the person’s A-number. The system says to contact the local court for bond hearing information, so call the local immigration court about a bond date.

At Otay Mesa, the court is inside the facility. EOIR says it is located in a DHS-controlled detention facility and sends visitors to the Otay Mesa Detention Center’s own website for entry rules. Imperial is different. The court page states that it is not located at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility, so do not go to the facility expecting to reach the courtroom. For someone held in the Inland Empire, our Adelanto guide covers the same two searches.

After release

Release changes custody, not necessarily the court. Under 8 C.F.R. § 1003.20, venue lies where jurisdiction vested, and a judge may change it only on a party’s motion, for good cause, after the other side has had a chance to respond. The judge cannot grant it without a fixed street address, including city, state and ZIP code, where the person can receive hearing notices.

So do not assume a released person’s case has moved to the downtown San Diego court or to a court near home. Check the newest notice and the automated system, and keep checking: EOIR says the system will not show a new hearing date until the court has set one, and the court’s documents are the official source. The day of release is also the day to report a new address. EOIR requires it within five working days on Form EOIR-33/IC, filed with the court where the case is now being heard, or online through Respondent Access. A missed notice can lead to a removal order entered in the person’s absence; our missed-hearing guide covers what can be done if that happens.

If the person has moved far from the court, file a motion to change venue with the court that has the case; our change-of-venue guide walks through it.

Filing and mail

Under 8 C.F.R. § 1003.11, every document is filed with the court that controls the record and “shall not be filed with any other Immigration Court.” A paper for an Otay Mesa case delivered to the downtown court is not filed in that case. For mail, Otay Mesa lists the San Ysidro post office box rather than its street address. None of the three courts accepts email or fax filings unless court staff or the judge asked for them; unrequested transmissions are discarded without notice. Each court lists filing-window hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Each court also keeps a mailbox only for asylum work-permit clock requests. San Diego’s is Asylum.Clock.San.Diego@usdoj.gov, Otay Mesa’s is Asylum.Clock.Otay.Mesa@usdoj.gov and Imperial’s is Asylum.Clock.Imperial@usdoj.gov. Include the applicant’s name, A-number and the reason the clock should change.

Getting there

Downtown San Diego has no public parking in the building; EOIR points to metered street parking, nearby commercial lots and the Metropolitan Transit System. At Otay Mesa, visitor parking is signed, and entry follows the detention center’s rules. Imperial offers free parking and an Imperial Valley Transit bus; visitors sign in with the lobby attendant and may not wait in the lobby, so anyone meeting a lawyer is directed to the pro bono room.

Every court screens visitors with a metal detector and a bag check and prohibits using cameras or recording devices in courtrooms and other EOIR space. Some hearings are held by video. If you are unsure which kind yours is, EOIR’s hearing-access page says to call the court hearing the case.