FDC Honolulu
| Location | 351 Elliott Street, Honolulu, Hawaii (near Daniel K. Inouye International Airport) |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Classification | Administrative (all security levels) |
| Capacity | 695 (design) |
| Population | approximately 212 (2026, approximate) |
| Opened | 2001 |
| Managed by | Federal Bureau of Prisons |
The Federal Detention Center, Honolulu (FDC Honolulu) is an administrative-security federal detention facility operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) in Honolulu, Hawaii. The 12-story facility sits at the western edge of Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, and it holds men and women of all security levels — mostly federal defendants awaiting trial in the District of Hawaii, people serving short sentences, ICE detainees, and Hawaii state contract prisoners.
Unlike a prison, a detention center exists to hold people near the courthouse while their cases move. Conditions look and feel different from a camp or penitentiary: more lockdown time, less programming, and a population that churns as cases resolve. Families usually encounter FDC Honolulu in the window between arrest, bail hearing, trial, and sentencing.
Facility
The facility opened in 2001, built partly to relieve overcrowding at the Oahu Community Correctional Center. It has a rated capacity of 695 across male and female units and also holds a small ICE detainee population under a federal intergovernmental agreement — about 15 per day in early 2025, growing to roughly 81 per day by late 2025 as national immigration enforcement expanded.
Address: 351 Elliott Street, Honolulu, HI 96819 (mailing: PO Box 30080, Honolulu, HI 96820). Phone: (808) 838-4200.
Who Is Held Here
FDC Honolulu holds three overlapping groups: pretrial defendants in the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii (the core mission), sentenced inmates serving short terms or awaiting designation, and ICE detainees. The state of Hawaii has also contracted bed space for state prisoners — roughly 300 state inmates in earlier years.
Visiting
Social visiting runs in scheduled blocks on weekends and holidays; legal and attorney visits are handled separately, with walk-in attorney access on weekdays. Confirm current hours with the facility before traveling — detention-center visiting schedules change frequently. Phone: (808) 838-4200.
The ICE Story (2025–2026)
FDC Honolulu's biggest recent change is immigration detention. After approval to house more ICE detainees in mid-2025, the ICE population multiplied more than fivefold, and reporting described detainees being flown from the mainland to Hawaii with little explanation, producing immigration-court waits of up to 19 months.
In the News
- Hawaii ICE Arrests, Detentions In 2025 Far Exceed 2024 — ICE detentions in Hawaii surged in 2025; FDC Honolulu's ICE population rose from about 15 to 81 per day. Civil Beat (January 2026). [1]
- Federal Detention Center Honolulu to take more ICE detainees — FDC Honolulu approved to expand ICE detention capacity. Hawaii News Now (July 6, 2025). [2]
- ICE has been sending immigrants from the continental U.S. to Hawaii — and no one knows why — Mainland-to-Hawaii detainee transfers with no stated rationale. Hawaii Public Radio (December 18, 2025). [3]
- Supreme Court set to limit federal inmates' ability to sue officials — SCOTUS case originated with a former FDC Honolulu inmate alleging denied medical care. NBC News (2026). [4]
- Detained immigrants could wait 19 months for their day in Honolulu court — Immigration-court backlog for detainees held at FDC Honolulu. Border Report (2026). [5]
Community Discussions
First-person threads from Reddit (r/prison and similar communities) — useful for what the official sources don't say:
- r/Felons — transfer to FDC Honolulu 4,000 miles from home — family-distance complaints about mainland-to-Hawaii transfers
- r/50501 — every ICE detention facility listed by state — FDC Honolulu listed as an ICE facility
- r/OnTheBlock — BOP hiring questions including FDC Honolulu — staff-side perspective
Notable Detainees and Residents
- Nicholas Ochs — Proud Boys Hawaii founder; January 6 conviction overturned by the Supreme Court, then pardoned in January 2025
- Duane "Dog" Chapman and sons — The bounty hunters were briefly held in 2006 on a Mexican warrant before charges were dismissed
- Alexander Ma (Yuk Ching Ma) — former CIA officer, 10-year espionage sentence, later transferred to FCI Beaumont
See Also
References
- ↑ "Hawaii ICE Arrests, Detentions In 2025 Far Exceed 2024". Civil Beat. Retrieved November 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Federal Detention Center Honolulu to take more ICE detainees". Hawaii News Now. Retrieved November 10, 2026.
- ↑ "ICE has been sending immigrants from the continental U.S. to Hawaii — and no one knows why". Hawaii Public Radio. Retrieved November 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Supreme Court set to limit federal inmates' ability to sue officials". NBC News. Retrieved November 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Detained immigrants could wait 19 months for their day in Honolulu court". Border Report. Retrieved November 10, 2026.