Miami Field Office
Broward Transitional Center

About Us

Who Are We?
Where Are We?
Hours and Visitations
Contacting Us
Local Procedures

 

Who Are We?

This is a temporary detention center for individuals who are waiting for their immigration status to be determined or who are awaiting repatriation. The facility is operated under contract with The GEO Group, Inc. (GEO).

Detention and Removal Operations
Field Office Director: Michael D. Rozos

Assistant Field Office Director for Detention:
Paul Candemeres

Assistant Field Office Director for Detained Case Management:
Michael Meade

The GEO Group, Inc.
Warden: John Dobre
Facility Main Phone Line (954) 973-4485

Where Are We?

Street Address:

3900 N. Powerline Road
Pompano Beach, Fl 33073

Mailing Address:

Same as Above

Parking:

Parking is available at the facility.

Accessibility for Individuals with Special Needs:
Special needs customers may use the front entrance. There are parking areas, entrances and other necessary accommodations for any individuals with special needs.

 

Hours and Visitations

Photo identification is required for admission into the facility.

Administration
Visitor hours are from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday

Detainee Visitation:

Saturday and Sunday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Males
Saturdays – Alternating weekends
A# 000 – 499, 1st & 3rd week
A# 500 – 999, 2nd & 4th week

Sunday (Females) 8:00 am – 3:00 pm

Visitation Policy:
Visitation hours are limited based on the volume of visitors. Any disruptive conduct by either party will result in the termination of the visit and may have an adverse effect on future visits. If visitor(s) bring children less than 18 years of age they are expected to remain under the direct supervision of the adult visitor(s) so they will not disturb others. Visitors must be in appropriate attire in order to be admitted into the facility. The visitor dress code is posted in the housing units and in the visitor parking area. The dress code list is not all-inclusive, and visitors may be denied entry into the facility if supervisory personnel deem their attire to be inappropriate.
Detainees are not allowed to accept any item from a visitor unless approved by appropriate supervisory personnel beforehand.
The following is a list of items that visitors are authorized to bring into the facility during visiting hours:

1. U.S. currency (bills and change) for the vending machines; amount not to exceed $20.
2. Two (2) diapers (per child) and items needed for diaper change.
3. One (1) plastic baby bottle (per child).
4. Passport, airline tickets, birth certificates etc. for detainees – will be turned in to the duty supervisor.

Attorney Visitation Hours: Sun – Sat. 7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and after hours with approval of Shift Supervisor

A list of pro bono (free) legal organizations will be posted in all detainee housing units and other appropriate areas. This list shall be updated quarterly

Walk-ins:
To speak with an Immigration Enforcement Agent, go to the Main lobby and you will be directed to the appropriate locations for your question.

Consular Visits:
Consular officials may meet with their detained nationals after prior notification to the AFOD for Detained Management. It is requested that prior arrangements be made with the office of the ICE Assistant Field Office Director to the extent possible, and that consular officials bring appropriate credentials when they come to the facility. Private areas are provided for Consular visits with the detainees.

Clergy Visits:
Clergy may visit detainees at any time, but must make prior arrangements with the Assistant Field Office Director for Detained Management. Regularly scheduled visits are conducted utilizing all available community resources. Special worship occasions are conducted in the facility multi-purpose area(s), under the supervision of the facility staff.

Visiting Restrictions:

1. All family / social visits are non-contact.
2. No firearms or weapons of any kind are permitted in the facility.
3. If visitors are or appear to be under the influence of alcohol or any drug, visitation will not be allowed.
4. Each detainee is permitted to have a maximum of two (2) visitors at a time. Visits will be limited to a duration of 1 hour
5. All visitors are subject to search.
6. Visitors are not allowed to pass or attempt to pass any items to detainees.
7. Children must be under control at all times.
8. Visitors are not allowed to chew gum in the facility.
9. Visitors are not allowed to carry any items into the visitation area.
10. If contraband such as drugs, alcohol, or weapons are found on any person, that person may be subject to prosecution.

Search Procedures:

Search Procedures (prior or during family or attorney visitations):
All persons and possessions entering BTC are subject to search by an Officer. This search may include but is not limited to visual inspection of bags/packages and any personal effects that the officer may feel necessary for the security of the facility. Small, secured lockers are provided at the Main Gate for property not permitted inside the facility.
Individuals refusing to cooperate with a reasonable search will not be admitted. No firearms or weapons of any kind are permitted.
No electronic devices (cell phones, pagers, radios, etc.) are permitted in the secure areas of this facility. All detainees are required to submit to a search when visiting with their family members, friends, attorneys, paralegal, etc., prior to the start of the visit.
Detainees will also be subject to a pat-down / strip search upon termination of their visit, except those with their attorneys, unless there is reason to believe a search is necessary.

 

Contacting Us

Appointments:

See Public Visiting Hours above.

Detention

Many of the detainees held in the facility were taken into custody at one of the area’s surrounding airports and seaports or by other ICE or DHS Components. Some detainees have been transferred in from other states. If you need information about a detainee you may call (954) 545-6045 during normal business hours and ask for the Deportation Officer or for the Supervisory Detention Officer on duty. (Please do not call until the detainee has been in our custody for at least 24 hours). When you do call, please have his or her biographical information ready, including first, last and hyphenated names, any alias names he/she may use, date of birth and country of birth. If you do not have this information, we may not be able to help you.

The only information you will receive is the detainee’s alien registration number. If you need to get in touch with a detainee you must call (954) 545-6047 and leave the detainee's full name, alien registration number and a telephone number where you can be reached. He or she will be given your message. You may visit the facility too.

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA):

All FOIA/PA requests must be submitted on form G-639 (Freedom of Information / Privacy Act Request) or in letter format. All requests must contain the original notarized signature of the subject in question. Please complete the form G-639 thoroughly and if writing a letter, be sure to include your full name, any other names used, date of birth, place of birth, A-number, and your address and telephone number, so that we may contact you if we have any questions.

Mail your FOIA/PA request to:
Via: U.S. Postal Service or any overnight delivery, e.g. FedEx
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Freedom of Information Act Office,
800 North Capitol Street, NW, Room 585
Washington, DC 20536
Phone – 1-866-633-1182
E-mail – ICE-FOIA@dhs.gov

Finding the status of your case:
Immigration Court:
For information about a matter before the Immigration Court you may contact them at
1-800-898-7180.
Applications for relief from removal, stay of removal, and other applications requested by the Immigration Judge must be filed directly with the Immigration Court at the address above.

Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA):
For information about a matter before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) you may contact them at (703) 605-1007 where you can obtain automated information and/or speak to a live representative during office hours. Their menu of automated options includes:
Information about the Board's mailing address, location, and web site information
Appeals and motions
Transcripts and briefs
Board decisions and stays of deportation
Change of address

Legal Help:
For a list of pro bono representatives who might be able to assist you, click here.

Talking with the Press/Media:

The Facility has a responsibility to protect the privacy and other rights of detainees and members of the staff; therefore, interviews will be regulated to ensure the orderly and safe operation of the Facility. Ordinarily, live television or radio interviews will not be permitted in the facility.

Correspondence and Phone Contacts with the Media:
Detainees may correspond with the media and may use facility telephones at their own expense to call the media.

Personal Interviews:
A news media representative who desires to conduct an interview with a detainee must apply in writing to the Miami Detention and Removals Operations Office, indicating familiarity with and agreement to comply with the rules and regulations of the Facility as provided to that person by staff

Detainee Consent:
A detainee has the right not to be interviewed, photographed, or recorded by the media. Before interviewing, photographing, or recording the voice of a detainee, a visiting representative of the media must obtain written permission from that individual.

Press Information Office:

For press inquiries, please contact the ICE Office of Public Affairs Southeast Regional Director in Miami, FL at (305) 597-6151.

Feedback:

We strive to provide quality service to people in our custody, their family, friends, and to their official representatives. If you believe that we have not lived up to this commitment, we would like to know. If we have met or exceeded your expectations, please let us know that as well. To comment on the services provided at this office, please write to:

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Assistant Field Office Director
Paul Candemeres
18201 SW 12th St.
Miami, FL 33194
305-207-2001

If detainees feel that an ICE employee or a facility employee mistreated them and wish to make a complaint of misconduct, you may call or write to:

Director of Detention and Removal Operations
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Paul Candemeres
18201 SW 12th St.
Miami, FL 33194
305-207-2001

Or

Office of Professional Responsibility
425 “I” Street, NW
Room 3260
Washington, DC 20229
(877) 246-8253

You may also file a Complaint by filing a DHS Form I-847.

 

Local Procedures

Bonds:

To post a Departure or Delivery Bond: These bonds are posted when a person has been placed into Removal/Deportation Proceedings while in the United States. The person supplying the bond money must show proof of identity. This person (the obligor) is responsible for ensuring that the alien presents himself before an officer or agent of this agency whenever a request is made. For bond information, please call (305) 207-2001 and ask to speak to the Deportation Officer handling the case. You must have the last name of the detainee and alien registration number before calling. Bonds may be posted Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 am – 3:00 p.m. at:
Krome Service Processing Center
18201 S.W. 12th Street
Miami, FL 33194

Bonds may also be posted at the Miami Field Office. Only cashier’s check or U.S. Postal Money order may be used to pay bonds.

Commissary:

This facility uses a commissary debit system for the purchase of hygiene items, drinks, food items, phone cards, etc. The funds relinquished are deposited into detainee commissary accounts. Items such as stamps and phone cards are not included at this limit. A list of commissary items is posted in each housing unit.

Mail:

Receiving Mail:

All incoming mail will be delivered to the Detainee, and outgoing mail will be routed to the proper postal office, within 24 hours of receipt by facility staff. When detainees depart the facility, any mail received for them will be endorsed “Return to Sender.”
All such mail will be returned to the Post Office. If detainees are transferred to another facility, only their legal mail will be forwarded to them. All general correspondence will be endorsed “Return to Sender” and returned to the Post Office.

A mail pick-up and delivery schedule is posted in the housing units.

Sending Mail:

Detainees receive their mail daily. Usually mail is disseminated after lunch.
Detainees are allowed to purchase stamps for use. Generally, there is no limit to the amount of correspondence detainees may send at their own expense. Indigent detainees (those who have no means of financial support and no funds in their facility account) will be provided postage allowance at government expense. Generally, indigent detainees will be permitted to mail the following each week:
All special correspondence; and
Three pieces of general correspondence.

Free postage is generally limited to letters weighing one ounce or less, with exceptions allowed for special correspondence.

Copies:

Copies for detainees may be made in the law library free of charge.

Medical Care:

The facility is staffed seven days a week from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. with qualified medical staff of United States Division of Immigration Health Services (USDIHS). They are responsible for the medical services provided at the facility. If a medical emergency arises that the USDIHS staff is unable to control or is beyond the scope of their practice, or the detainee is in need of more comprehensive care, the detainee will be referred to the nearest emergency medical facility.

Money:

The facility has a commissary system in place and each detainee is allowed to carry a maximum of fifty dollars. When detainees are in processed in to the facility, they will be required to relinquish al funds except up-to fifty dollars. Checks, money orders, and all cash funds will be left with the Processing Officer. Detainees will be given a receipt for their funds. Prior to departing the facility, any funds remaining will be returned to the detainee.

Detainee Sending Money Out:

Occasionally, detainees may wish to send money to their family. They are cautioned not to send cash through the mail. To send money, detainees should submit a Detainee Request Form to the Case Worker and (s)he will make arrangements to purchase a money order that the detainee can send, at his/her own expense.

Receiving Money:

If detainees receive funds in the mail, they will be taken to the processing area for the money to be placed in their account. The Processing Officer will receipt any funds received. Detainees are cautioned not to have cash sent to them in the mail.

Sending Packages and Receiving Packages:

In order to receive packages, detainees must submit a Detainee Package form. Detainees will not be allowed to receive packages without advance approval form FA, AFA, or designee.

If a package is received without prior approval, it will be rejected. The guidelines for package requests are posted in each housing unit.

Religious Services and Observances:

All detainees shall have access to religious resources, services, instruction and counseling on a voluntary basis. All detainees shall be extended the greatest amount of freedom and opportunity for pursuing any legitimate religious belief or practice within the constraints of security and safety considerations. The religious service schedule is posted in your housing unit.

Smoking:

This is a Non-Smoking facility. No cigarettes, tobacco or smoking paraphernalia is allowed.

Making Telephone Calls:

Each housing unit has telephones available for detainee use. Telephones are also available in the outdoor recreation area. The phones are debit only. Phone calls may be limited during peak usage periods. The telephones are available for sue daily, during normal facility operation from 6:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. Debit cards may be purchased within the facility on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Consular and Attorney Phone Calls:

Detainees can call their consulates or embassies free of charge, as well as several pro bono (free) legal organizations. Those numbers are updated as necessary. Consular and Pro Bono Attorney phone numbers are posted by all telephones and within the dayroom areas on all the bulletin boards. Detainees may also see Case Specialists if or when an issue arises for assistance.

Calling a Detainee:

Detainees cannot receive incoming calls. In case of family or other emergencies involving a detainee, you must call (954) 957-2702 and leave the detainee’s full name, alien registration number and your name and telephone number where you can be reached.

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