Interpol does not have jurisdiction in the United States. It is a coordination network linking police forces in 196 member countries, not a supranational police agency, and its employees have no power to arrest, detain, search, or investigate anyone on American soil.1INTERPOL. Member Countries When Interpol information leads to action against someone inside the United States, every step of that action is carried out by American law enforcement under American law.
What Interpol Actually Does
Interpol’s constitution limits the organization to promoting “the widest possible mutual assistance between all criminal police authorities within the limits of the laws existing in the different countries.”2INTERPOL. Constitution of the ICPO-INTERPOL Cooperation is the mission, and that cooperation is bound to the domestic law of each member state. Interpol cannot override a country’s legal system.
The constitution also forbids the organization from undertaking “any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character.”2INTERPOL. Constitution of the ICPO-INTERPOL That restriction is the primary ground for challenging notices that appear politically motivated.
Operationally, Interpol runs a secure communications network called I-24/7 that connects police agencies worldwide. Through it, member countries share criminal records, fingerprint data, stolen document alerts, and information on wanted persons.3INTERPOL. Databases Think of Interpol as the switchboard. It connects a detective in Paris to an agent in New York. It never kicks down a door.
How Interpol Information Reaches US Police
Every member country designates a National Central Bureau. In the United States that bureau is Interpol Washington, formally the US National Central Bureau (USNCB). It sits within the Department of Justice and is co-managed by the Department of Homeland Security.4U.S. Department of Justice. INTERPOL Washington Federal law authorizes the Attorney General to accept and maintain US membership in Interpol on behalf of the country.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 22 USC 263a – International Criminal Police Organization
The staff are all US federal employees. They screen incoming foreign requests for compliance with federal law and Interpol’s rules before anything moves into American systems. That American filter is what preserves sovereign control over domestic policing.
Screened alerts are fed into domestic databases, primarily TECS (used by Customs and Border Protection) and the FBI’s National Crime Information Center. State and local police reach this information through Nlets, a message-switching system that connects federal, state, local, and tribal agencies and has been integrated with Interpol’s international database.6U.S. Department of Justice. Information Sharing Resources and Initiatives A routine traffic stop can surface an Interpol alert if the officer runs the name.
Coverage is imperfect. A federal oversight review found that the USNCB had failed to enter lookout records into NCIC for a large majority of the foreign red notices it received, and entries that were made often took over 30 days to appear.7Office of Inspector General. The United States National Central Bureau of INTERPOL Whether an alert is actually visible to a given officer varies.
What a Red Notice Means Inside the United States
A Red Notice is a request circulated to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, based on a national arrest warrant or court order from the requesting country. Interpol is direct about its limits: a Red Notice “is not an arrest warrant,” and “INTERPOL cannot compel the law enforcement authorities in any country to arrest someone who is the subject of a Red Notice.”8INTERPOL. Red Notices Each country decides what legal weight to give it.
In the United States, a Red Notice functions as a high-priority alert. It tells law enforcement that a foreign country wants someone located. It provides no legal authority to arrest. An American arrest requires an American warrant, issued by an American court, based on a formal extradition request that satisfies American legal standards.
Collateral Effects Even Without an Arrest
A Red Notice can still cause serious harm short of arrest. Banks running compliance checks may discover the notice and close accounts, sometimes without explanation, treating it as a risk flag under internal policy.
For non-US citizens the effects are sharper. Red Notice data appearing in TECS or the State Department’s CLASS database can trigger visa denials, cancellation of existing visas, secondary inspection at ports of entry, citizenship delays, or removal proceedings, regardless of whether any extradition request has been filed.
Other Notices and Diffusions
Red Notices attract the most attention, but Interpol issues several color-coded notices, each with a different purpose:9INTERPOL. About Notices
- Blue Notice: requests additional information about a person’s identity, location, or activities in connection with a criminal investigation.
- Yellow Notice: helps locate missing persons or identify people who cannot identify themselves.
- Green Notice: warns that a person’s criminal activities pose a possible threat to public safety.
- Orange Notice: warns of a serious and imminent threat from an event, person, object, or process.
- Purple Notice: shares information on criminal methods, objects, devices, or concealment techniques.
- Black Notice: seeks information on unidentified bodies.
- INTERPOL-UN Security Council Special Notice: for individuals and entities under UN sanctions.
Interpol also processes “diffusions,” alerts circulated by a member country directly through I-24/7 rather than published by the General Secretariat. A diffusion can trigger US lookout entries and produce many of the same practical effects as a Red Notice with less prior review. Focusing only on Red Notices can miss this.
What Must Happen Before a US Arrest and Surrender
The gap between an Interpol alert and an actual arrest in the United States is filled by formal extradition, a multi-step legal process with protections at each stage.
The requesting country must submit a formal request for provisional arrest, typically through diplomatic channels, though some modern treaties allow direct requests between justice ministries.10U.S. Department of State. 7 FAM 1630 – Extradition of Fugitives from the United States The Department of Justice’s Criminal Division reviews whether a valid extradition treaty exists with that country. Extradition generally requires a treaty; without one, the US has no obligation to surrender anyone, though a narrow exception exists for crimes of violence against US nationals abroad when the Attorney General certifies specific conditions.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 US Code 3181 – Scope and Limitation of Chapter
If the request passes review, a US Attorney files a formal complaint under oath before a federal judge or magistrate, who then issues a domestic arrest warrant. At the extradition hearing, the judge examines whether the evidence is sufficient to sustain the charge under the applicable treaty. If so, the judge certifies the case to the Secretary of State, who makes the final decision on surrender.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 3184 – Fugitives from Foreign Country to United States The Secretary’s surrender order is what ultimately allows a foreign government’s agent to take custody.13GovInfo. 18 USC 3186 – Secretary of State to Surrender Fugitive
Dual Criminality
Nearly all US extradition treaties require dual criminality: the conduct underlying the foreign charges must also be a crime under American law. Most treaties require that the offense carry a potential punishment of at least one year of imprisonment in both jurisdictions.14U.S. Department of State. 7 FAM 1610 – Introduction If the conduct is not criminal in the United States, extradition fails regardless of how serious the charge may be abroad. This matters for offenses like blasphemy, certain speech crimes, or business practices that are lawful in the US but criminalized elsewhere.
Political Offense Exception
Most US extradition treaties also include a political offense exception, allowing the US to refuse extradition when the underlying charges are political. It mirrors Interpol’s own constitutional bar on political cases and creates a second checkpoint: even if a notice was circulated, the US can independently refuse to surrender the person on the same grounds.
Your Rights If Extradition Is Initiated
A person facing extradition in the United States retains real protections. You have the right to counsel, and one will be appointed if you cannot afford one. The extradition hearing is a judicial proceeding before a federal judge or magistrate, not an administrative rubber stamp.
Bail exists in theory but is hard to get. There is no statutory right to bail in international extradition cases. Courts apply a “special circumstances” standard tracing to the Supreme Court’s 1903 decision in Wright v. Henkel, which recognized that bail should not ordinarily be granted in extradition cases but did not rule it out entirely. Detention pending the hearing is the default.
If the judge certifies extradition, you can challenge the decision through a federal habeas corpus petition asking a federal court to review the legality of your detention and the proceedings. There is also a hard time limit: if you are not surrendered and removed within two calendar months after commitment (plus actual transit time), you can petition a judge for release, and the government must show sufficient cause for the delay or the court may order your discharge.15Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 3188 – Time of Commitment Pending Extradition
Challenging a Red Notice
If you believe a Red Notice has been issued against you improperly, you can request its review and deletion through the Commission for the Control of Interpol’s Files (CCF). The CCF is an independent body that examines whether data in Interpol’s system complies with the organization’s rules, including the ban on political, military, religious, or racial cases.16INTERPOL. Repository of Practice – Application of Articles 2 and 3 of INTERPOLs Constitution
As of March 2026, all requests to the CCF must be submitted through a dedicated secure online portal. Requests by email or postal mail are no longer accepted except in extraordinary circumstances.17INTERPOL. How to Submit a Request The Commission works from written submissions and documentation; oral hearings are rare. It may seek additional information from the applicant, the requesting country, or the Interpol General Secretariat before deciding.
Expect delays. The CCF has acknowledged a rising caseload. Beginning in 2026, it is restructuring to hold three longer sessions per year with an optional fourth, but a backlog remains.18INTERPOL. CCF Sessions and Decisions A Red Notice can damage finances, travel, and reputation for months or years while a challenge moves through the system, so counsel experienced in Interpol matters is worth engaging early.