Burleigh County Detention Center

Burleigh County Detention Center is an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) detention facility located in Bismarck, North Dakota. It falls under the St. Paul Field Office ERO field office area of responsibility.

Facility quick reference

How to locate or contact a detainee

To locate someone in ICE custody, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator System at locator.ice.gov. You will need the person’s A-number (Alien Registration Number) and country of birth, or their full name, country of birth, and date of birth.

To ask whether someone is held here, and to leave an urgent message for a detainee, ICE publishes one number: (701) 354-3292. Give the detainee’s full name, alien registration number (A-number), and your name and a phone number where you can be reached; the facility passes the message on. The general facility line (701) 222-6651 is for other questions. Detainees cannot receive incoming calls — they place outgoing calls themselves. Have the person’s biographical information ready when you call (full legal name and any aliases, date of birth, and country of birth). ICE publishes this facility’s visiting schedule (see Visiting in person below); to reserve a visiting time slot, ICE gives (701) 255-3113 (checked October 16, 2026).

Visiting in person

ICE’s page for this facility (checked October 16, 2026; the page shows “Updated: 08/06/2026”) gives these rules:

• Friends and family: every Tuesday and Thursday (except holidays), 1-4 p.m. Each eligible detainee is allowed one 20-minute visit per visitation day, with a maximum of two visitors per detainee at the visitation station. All family or other social visits are non-contact.
• Reserving a slot: visits do not need to be scheduled in advance; visitors can call the day before or the day of to reserve a time slot at (701) 255-3113.
• Who can be visited: a detainee is eligible after their initial intake, not including the day they were booked in, and only if the detainee has completed and handed in a visitation form before the day of the visit.
• Visitors: must have photo identification, be dressed appropriately, and be 18 years old or accompanied by an adult. Visitation is not allowed if a visitor is or appears to be intoxicated.
• Search and items: everyone requesting admittance to the facility or the visitation area is subject to a pat-down search, an inspection of belongings and a metal scan search; anyone refusing to cooperate with a reasonable search is not admitted. No firearms or weapons of any kind, no electronic devices (cell phones, pagers, radios, etc.) in the secure areas, no items carried into the visitation area, and no passing or attempting to pass items to detainees.
• Consular officials may meet with their detained nationals at any time; ICE requests that, to the extent possible, prior arrangements be made with the ICE Supervisory Deportation Officer, at (612) 843-8600, and that consular officials bring appropriate credentials.
• Clergy may visit at any time but must make prior arrangements with the Chaplain’s Office.
• Parking: free public parking is available at the facility.

Sending mail, commissary funds, and personal items

ICE lists each facility’s format on that facility’s page at ice.gov. Under ICE’s National Detention Standards, Revised 2019, §5.1(E) — cited here for comparison only, because ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight reports that this facility operates under the USMS Federal Performance Based Detention Standards (FPBDS) (May 2025) instead, and we have not reviewed that standard’s mail rules — incoming general mail is opened and inspected for contraband, and outgoing general mail may be inspected and read if it is addressed to another detainee or staff have reason to believe it threatens the facility’s security or order, endangers someone, or could facilitate criminal activity. Only special correspondence — mail to or from attorneys and other legal representatives, courts and judges, government attorneys, embassies and consulates, the President and Vice President of the United States, members of Congress, the Department of Justice (including the immigration courts), DHS (including ICE/ERO, IHSC, CRCL and the DHS Inspector General), grievance administrators, and the news media — may not be read or copied by staff. Incoming special correspondence is inspected for contraband in the detainee’s presence; outgoing special correspondence is not opened, inspected or read, and if a need exists, any inspection takes place in the detainee’s presence. The standard limits any inspection to detecting physical contraband and confirming that enclosures qualify as special correspondence. Mail counts as special correspondence only if the envelope unambiguously identifies the title and office of the sender (incoming mail) or of the addressee (outgoing mail). Rules for commissary (account) deposits and permitted personal items vary by facility, and so does the number that handles them — ICE names a separate facility mail clerk on some facility pages. This facility’s deposit route, accepted form of payment and contacts are in the Sending Items to Detainees section of its own ICE page (linked above).

What ICE publishes for this facility’s mail, money, and packages

Per ICE’s page for this facility (checked October 16, 2026):

• Non-confidential messages by mail: ICE lists this mailing address under “Sending Non-Confidential Messages to Detained Aliens”: PO Box 2499, Bismarck, ND 58502.
• Money: can be put on a detainee’s account with cash or a credit/debit card at the kiosk in the main lobby of the detention center; online at jailatm.com; or by mailing a money order or cashier’s check payable to the detainee to:

Burleigh-Morton County Detention Center
PO Box 2499
Bismarck, ND 58502-2499

• Phone time: only phone time purchased through Reliance can be used in the detention center. It can be bought by calling Reliance Telephone at 1-800-896-3201, at reliancetelephone.com, or by putting cash into the detainee’s account so the detainee can purchase phone time.
• Packages: ICE says to call (612) 843-8600 before sending one. A detainee may receive items determined to be of necessity for the sole purpose of travel or release from agency custody, with approval of the ICE Deportation Officer.
• Luggage for removal: a detainee being removed is allowed one small piece; if the detainee has none, luggage can be sent/delivered after approval from the Supervisory Deportation Officer. For security reasons, no electronic devices (cell phones, electric razors, laptop computers, radios, etc.) are accepted.

Items that can be left at the detention center

The Burleigh County Sheriff’s Department page for the Burleigh/Morton Detention Center (checked October 19, 2026) says:

• Provided by the facility: razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, comb and feminine products.
• Clothing left for a person held there must be approved by detention staff.
• Limits by custody type: the page says US Marshal inmates may not take personal items with them when transported, so only medically necessary items are accepted for them, and that no items may be left for inmates transported in from DOCR for court or ordered to serve their sentence at DOCR.
• Allowed items: eyeglasses or contacts (contact solution is bought through commissary); dentures (denture cream is bought through commissary); books, only self-help, educational and/or religious material in soft cover; and prescription medication, which may be brought in 24 hours a day.
• Cash may be brought in 24 hours a day and deposited at the lobby kiosk.
• Mail must be sent through the mail to the facility; no messages can be left over the counter.
• Not allowed: pencils or pens (pencils are provided), photographs, cell phones, hats, excess luggage and packages of any type.

The county’s “no packages of any type” line differs from ICE’s facility page, which says a detainee may receive items determined to be of necessity for travel or release, with the ICE Deportation Officer’s approval, and lists (612) 843-8600 to call before sending a package.

Legal access, attorneys, and immigration court information

Detainees have the right to speak with an attorney, and attorney–client visits and calls are confidential. For information about a case before the immigration court (EOIR), EOIR’s automated line 1-800-898-7180 (toll-free, 24 hours a day, English and Spanish) gives the next hearing date and case status; callers enter the 9 digits of the A-number, without the letter A (EOIR, checked October 24, 2026). For a matter before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), ICE’s page for this facility gives (703) 605-1007, where callers can obtain automated information or speak with a live representative during office hours (checked October 16, 2026). Applications for relief from removal must be filed directly with the immigration court handling the case. If you cannot afford an attorney, the immigration court can provide a list of pro bono legal service providers — see the related resources below.

Booking legal visits, video calls, and legal calls

Per ICE’s page for this facility (checked October 16, 2026):

• G-28s filed for detainees at this facility can be submitted through ERO eFile. Facility staff do not have access to ERO eFile, and ICE says legal representatives should download copies of their submitted G-28 for any in-person or remote legal visit.
• Attorney visits do not need to be scheduled in advance; a time slot can be reserved by calling (701) 255-3113 the day before or the day of. The page publishes no separate attorney-visit hours and no booking procedure for video visits or legal calls at this facility.
• Case information: requests about detainees held here can be sent to stpaul.outreach@ice.dhs.gov; this mailbox does not accept applications for Stay of Removal or Case Appeals.
• Identifying a client’s Deportation Officer: contact the St. Paul Field Office at (612) 843-8600; a G-28 must be on file for any information to be disclosed.

Feedback, complaints, and oversight

To report a concern about conditions at this facility or the conduct of an ICE or contract employee, contact the ERO St. Paul Field Office that oversees this facility, or file a complaint with the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL). On its own Make a Civil Rights Complaint page DHS publishes one channel — the online portal at engage.dhs.gov/crcl-complaint; CBP additionally publishes, for the same office, the e-mail address CRCL@dhs.gov, fax (202) 401-4708, and the postal address DHS/CRCL, Compliance Branch, 2707 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE, Mail Stop #0190, Washington, DC 20528-0190. The DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) hotline is 1-800-323-8603.

This facility’s own ICE page adds these channels (checked October 16, 2026):

• Comments on service, or a misconduct complaint to the field office: Field Office Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement St. Paul Field Office, 1 Federal Dr. Ste 1601, Ft. Snelling, MN 55111.
• ICE Office of Professional Responsibility (by mail): Director, Office of Professional Responsibility, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, P.O. Box 14475, Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, D.C. 20044.
• Joint Intake Center: 1-877-2INTAKE or joint.intake@dhs.gov.
• DHS OIG in writing: DHS Office of Inspector General, Attn: Office of Investigations - Hotline, 245 Murray Drive, Building 410 Stop: 2600, Washington, DC 20528; fax (202) 254-4292; DHSOIGHOTLINE@DHS.GOV.

A news media representative who wants to interview a detainee here must apply in writing to the St. Paul Field Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations, indicating familiarity with and agreement to comply with the facility rules and regulations provided by staff. ICE says a detainee has the right not to be interviewed, photographed or recorded by the media, and the media representative must first obtain written permission from that detainee. For media inquiries about ICE activities, operations or policies, ICE gives ICEMedia@ice.dhs.gov.

ICE inspection record

ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight (ODO), part of ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility, inspected Burleigh County Detention Center from June 24 to July 23, 2026, including a 1-day on-site visit on July 23, 2026 (ODO report, Inspection 2026-006-134). Per ICE’s July 2026 inspection:

• Who runs it: the facility opened in 2017 and is owned by Burleigh County and operated by the Burleigh County Sheriff’s Department. ICE’s ERO began housing detainees at BCDC in 1995 under ERO Saint Paul, holding them at the old BCDC until the new facility opened in 2017. It is a United States Marshal Service (USMS) contracted detention facility where ICE is an authorized user, operating under the USMS Federal Performance Based Detention Standards (FPBDS) (May 2025). It holds male and female detainees of low, medium-low, medium-high and high security classification for periods greater than 72 hours.
• Staffing and services: ERO has deportation officers assigned full time, on site Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Summit Food Service provides food services, Burleigh County provides medical care, and Summit Commissary provides commissary services. The facility does not hold any accreditations from outside entities.
• Findings: ODO assessed 21 standards and found the facility in compliance with all 21, with no deficiencies.
• Detainee interviews: ODO interviewed five detainees; none made allegations of discrimination, mistreatment or abuse, and all reported satisfaction with the facility services.
• Rating: Superior. This was ODO’s first inspection of BCDC, so no prior inspection data existed for a trend analysis.

287(g) agreements in Burleigh County

This facility is in Burleigh County, North Dakota (per the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder for the address ICE publishes). ICE's 287(g) participating-agencies workbook, dated October 9, 2026, records 1 agreement with agencies in that county:

Source: ICE, 287(g) program (participating-agencies workbook). A 287(g) agreement is between ICE and the law-enforcement agency; on its own it says nothing about this facility. What each model means · all agreements by state.

Related procedural resources

• Know Your Rights — what to do if ICE detains you
• EOIR immigration court schedules and procedures
• BIA-recognized legal-aid organizations in North Dakota
• Other ICE detention facilities in North Dakota
• All facilities under the St. Paul Field Office