Cibola County Correctional Center

Cibola County Correctional Center is an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) detention facility located in Milan, New Mexico. It falls under the El Paso 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.

ICE publishes two different numbers for this facility. To ask whether someone is held here, call (505) 285-4900 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. (checked October 16, 2026). To leave an urgent message for a detainee, call (505) 285-4905 and 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. 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). This facility’s visiting rules are listed below; confirm current hours by calling (505) 285-4900 or checking the official ICE page linked above.

Visiting in person

ICE’s page for this facility lists these rules (checked October 16, 2026):

• Friends and family visits: “Friday-Monday 8 a.m. – 7 p.m., and all Federal holidays.” Visits shall not exceed 8 hours. All family or other social visits are contact visits.
• Arrival: to allow time for security processing, ICE says “all visitors must arrive 15 minutes before start of visitation and 1 hour before the close of visitation.”
• ID: visitors must present a valid verifiable government-issued identification card to enter the facility.
• Minors must be accompanied by an adult guardian (18 years or older) and must not be left unaccompanied in the waiting room, visiting room or any other area.
• Items: visitors may not pass or attempt to pass any items to detainees and may not carry items into the visitation area. Unless the visitor is with an infant or child, a small list of items is allowed; call (505) 285-4900 ext. 0 for the full list.
• Search: 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 a reasonable search will not be admitted. No firearms or weapons of any kind are permitted, and no electronic devices (cell phones, pagers, radios, etc.) are permitted in the secure areas. Visitors who are or appear to be intoxicated will not be allowed to visit.
• Clergy may visit at any time but must make prior arrangements with the Chaplain’s Office at (505) 285-4996.
• Consular officials may meet with their detained nationals at any time. ICE requests that prior arrangements be made with the ICE Supervisory Deportation Officer to the extent possible and that consular officials bring appropriate credentials. The Supervisory Deportation Officer in charge of the facility: (505) 452-4703.
• Parking and access: free public parking is available on the premises; ICE says the facility is in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

CoreCivic’s October 2023 visitation and contact guide for Cibola County Correctional Center (checked October 17, 2026) adds operator visitation rules:

• Advance approval and visitor limit: CoreCivic’s guide states that the resident submits a visiting list request form and that all visitors must be approved in advance by the resident’s Unit Team, and that processing takes two to three days after the application reaches the unit team. It defines authorized visitors as family, friends, and associates with a verifiable relationship established before confinement, and allows no more than 4 visitors per resident, excluding children.
• Minors and photo ID: CoreCivic’s guide says minors under age 15 do not need a special visitation form when accompanied by an approved adult visitor, while minors over age 15 must fill out the visitation form and have valid identification; visitors 16 and older must have a photo ID (driver’s license, photo ID, or valid passport; birth certificates are not considered proper ID).
• Dress code and vending change: CoreCivic’s guide prohibits shorts (regardless of length), hats, halter tops, tank tops, and jewelry of any kind except a wedding band, earrings, or a religious medallion declared in the visiting room before the visit. It permits a reasonable amount of searched infant-care products and up to $40.00 in change for vending machines.
• Guide vs. ICE’s page: the October 2023 CoreCivic guide and ICE’s page (checked October 16, 2026) differ: the guide lists visitation on weekends and holidays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and requires photo ID from visitors 16 and older, while ICE’s page lists Friday–Monday 8 a.m.–7 p.m. and all federal holidays, requires a valid verifiable government-issued ID from all visitors, and requires minors to be accompanied by an adult guardian 18 or older.

Sending mail, commissary funds, and personal items

ICE’s page for this facility says letters sent to detainees must include the last four digits of the detainee’s A-number, plus the sender’s name and address (checked October 16, 2026); the detainee’s full name and A-number are required on money orders and cashier’s checks (see below). ICE lists each facility’s format on that facility’s page at ice.gov. This facility’s own ICE page says incoming mail “is not read upon opening, only inspected by the delivering officer” and that detainees may seal their own outgoing letters. ICE’s detention standards allow more than that. ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight inspected this facility in February 2025 under the Performance-Based National Detention Standards (PBNDS) 2011 (Revised 2016) (inspection report). Under that standard’s mail section, 5.1, staff open and inspect incoming general correspondence for contraband in the detainee’s presence unless the facility administrator authorizes otherwise, and it “may be read to the extent necessary to maintain security, as authorized by the facility administrator” — reading, with the administrator’s approval, may be done at random. Outgoing general mail may be inspected or read if it is addressed to another detainee or there is evidence it might threaten the facility’s secure or orderly operation, endanger the recipient or the public, or facilitate criminal activity. Only special correspondence or legal mail — mail to or from attorneys and other legal representatives, government attorneys, judges and courts, embassies and consulates, the President and Vice President, members of Congress, the Justice Department and DHS (including ICE, ERO, ICE Health Services Corps, CRCL and the DHS Inspector General), outside health care professionals, grievance administrators and the news media — may not be read: the envelope must be labeled “special correspondence” or “legal mail” and identify the sender’s or addressee’s title and office. Staff may neither read nor copy it; any inspection takes place in the detainee’s presence and is limited to detecting physical contraband and confirming that enclosures qualify as special correspondence or legal 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

From ICE’s page for Cibola (checked October 16, 2026):

• Letters must include the last four digits of the detainee’s A-number, plus the sender’s name and address. All incoming mail is subject to screening for contraband. Outgoing mail is routed to the post office within 24 hours of receipt by facility staff, and a mail pick-up and delivery schedule is posted in all housing units.
• Money in person: visitors may deposit cash only at the facility, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Cash a detainee has on arrival is deposited and receipted to the detainee’s trust account.
• Money by mail: the page says to send money orders and cashier’s checks only, which must include the detainee’s full name and A-number, to:

Cibola County Correctional Center
[Detainee's full name and A-number]
PO Box 3540, Milan, NM 87021

The same page also states: “All monies (cash, check, money order) arriving at the facility, via mail, will be returned to the sender.” Confirm with the facility at (505) 285-4900 before mailing money.

• Packages: before sending one, contact the facility mail clerk at (505) 285-4911 or write Attention Warden, PO Box 3540, Milan, NM 87021. A detainee may receive only items determined to be of necessity for the sole purpose of travel or release from custody, with approval of the ICE Deportation Officer.
• Stamps: detainees may buy them; indigent detainees (no means of financial support and no funds in their facility account) get a postage allowance at government expense.
• Transfers and departures: only legal mail is forwarded; general correspondence is endorsed “Return to Sender” and returned to the post office.
• Luggage for removal: one small piece is allowed; if the person has none, luggage can be sent or delivered after approval from the Supervisory Deportation Officer. No electronic devices (cell phones, electric razors, laptop computers, radios, etc.) are accepted.
• Messages: ICE says the facility has tablets; information on sending a non-confidential message is at www.gettingout.com.

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), the main line of EOIR (the Justice Department agency the BIA belongs to) is (703) 305-0289. 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

From ICE’s page for Cibola (checked October 16, 2026):

• In-person attorney visits: Monday-Friday 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.; legal representatives must call in advance to schedule. ICE says visitation is also available on weekends and holidays.

• G-28s can be submitted through ERO eFile. Facility staff do not have access to it, so legal representatives should download copies of the submitted G-28 for any in-person or remote legal visit.

• Video teleconference (VTC) meetings and confidential legal phone calls can be requested by email at Cibolavirtualvisitation@corecivic.com; the receiving officer emails back a confirmed date and time. They can also be scheduled by calling (505) 285-4828. Appointments should be made 24 hours before the desired time, are scheduled 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday in 60-minute increments, are available Saturdays, Sundays and holidays if necessary, and are contingent on availability. ICE says legal representatives are not limited in the number of VTC appointments they can request, but no legal representative may have more than one 60-minute appointment with a detainee in a single day.

• The email should include the representative’s full name and contact information (phone, email and Zoom account information), the detainee’s name and A-number, a few proposed dates and times, a scan of the representative’s government-issued ID, a scan of documentation of active legal-representative status (such as a state bar card, attorney license or paralegal license), and the DHS Form G-28 unless the visit is pre-representational. A legal assistant joining alone must also attach a letter of authorization on the firm’s or organization’s letterhead and a scan of the assistant’s ID.

• Only legal representatives, legal assistants and interpreters may attend — no family or friends. Outside interpretation services may be contacted during the session. A visitation officer stays outside the room, out of earshot but within eyeshot, and knocks 5 minutes before the cut-off time.

• Virtual Attorney Visitation (VAV) rules: ICE’s 2023 VAV flyer for Cibola (checked October 17, 2026) states that legal representatives and their staff are not permitted to video or audio record during any virtual or in-person visit or call with noncitizens at the facility, and that any violation may result in suspension or permanent revocation of VAV user privileges. The flyer also states that video visitation may be used for other confidential interviews (by USCIS or forensic medical evaluators) or special visitation purposes (child welfare), contingent upon availability.

Sending legal documents and case questions

• Legal documents by email: when timely communication through the mail is not possible, the facility administrator may, in his or her discretion, allow a reasonable amount of communication through Cibolavirtualvisitation@corecivic.com. A cover sheet must give the sender’s name, the law office’s name, the address, the detainee’s name and identification number, the sender’s return email, the number of pages and the date. The documents are placed in a sealed envelope with the detainee’s name and A-number, inspected for contraband but not read, and delivered; requests are processed during normal business hours Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
• Case information: requests go to ElPaso.Outreach@ice.dhs.gov; ICE says this mailbox does not accept applications for Stay of Removal or Case Appeals.
• Deportation Officer: representatives from outside the local area can email ElPaso.Outreach@ice.dhs.gov; the request is forwarded to the Albuquerque office and assigned to the Deportation Officer. A G-28 must be on file for any information to be disclosed.
• Pro bono list: posted in all housing units and updated quarterly; ICE says contacting a provider for an appointment is the detainee’s responsibility.

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 El Paso 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, 11541 Montana Avenue, Suite E, El Paso, TX 79936.
• ICE Office of Professional Responsibility (by mail): Director, Office of Professional Responsibility, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 500 12th Street, SW, Suite 1049, Mailstop 5099, Washington, DC 20536-5005.
• ICE OPR Integrity Coordination Center: 1-833-4ICE-OPR or ICEOPRIntake@ice.dhs.gov.

A news reporter who wants to interview someone held here must apply in writing to the El Paso Field Office, 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, and the reporter must first obtain the detainee’s written permission. Media inquiries about ICE activities go to ICEMedia@ice.dhs.gov.

ICE inspection record

ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight (ODO), part of ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility, inspected Cibola County Correctional Center on February 25–27, 2025 (Compliance Inspection 2025-001-091; ODO report). Per ICE’s February 2025 inspection:

• Standard: findings are reported by the Performance-Based National Detention Standards (PBNDS) 2011 (Revised 2016); the report is filed under ERO El Paso.
• Standards with findings: the report’s table of contents lists compliance inspection findings under Security — Funds and Personal Property, Staff-Detainee Communication, and Use of Force and Restraints — and under Justice — Legal Rights Group Presentations.
• ODO calls violations of ICE detention standards, policies or procedures “deficiencies,” and marks with “C” those the facility corrected before the inspection ended.

Earlier inspections

• August 27–29, 2024 — ODO Unannounced Follow-Up Compliance Inspection (report): under PBNDS 2011 (Revised 2016), the table of contents lists findings under Security (Custody Classification System: in 3 out of 3 reviewed files, no reclassification assessment was completed 60 to 90 days after initial classification) and Care (Significant Self-harm and Suicide Prevention and Intervention). OCR text from the scanned conclusion page reports compliance with 15 of 17 standards reviewed and 2 deficiencies in the remaining 2 standards.
• February 27–29, 2024 — ODO Compliance Inspection (report): under PBNDS 2011 (Revised 2016), ODO reported findings under Security (Custody Classification System, Facility Security and Control, and Sexual Abuse and Assault Prevention and Intervention, where the missing PSA Compliance Manager name was corrected on-site), Care (Medical Care and Significant Self-harm and Suicide Prevention and Intervention), and Activities (Telephone Access). OCR text from the scanned conclusion page reports compliance with 22 of 28 standards reviewed, 6 deficiencies in the remaining 6 standards, and a Good rating.
• February 14–16, 2023 — ODO Compliance Inspection (report): under PBNDS 2011 (Revised 2016), ODO reported findings under Care (Food Service and Significant Self-harm and Suicide Prevention and Intervention) and Activities (Visitation: missing required fields in the general visitors’ log and unposted rules and legal visitation hours). OCR text from the scanned conclusion page reports compliance with 21 of 24 standards reviewed, 7 deficiencies in the remaining 3 standards, and a Superior rating.
• June 28–30, 2022 — ODO’s follow-up compliance inspection reported compliance with 16 of 17 standards under PBNDS 2011 (Revised 2016), with one deficiency in the remaining standard.
• June 21–24, 2021 — ODO’s follow-up compliance inspection reported compliance with 10 of 12 standards under PBNDS 2011 (Revised 2016), with two deficiencies in the remaining two standards.

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 New Mexico
• Other ICE detention facilities in New Mexico
• All facilities under the El Paso Field Office