Irwin County Detention Center

Irwin County Detention Center is an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) detention facility located in Ocilla, Georgia. It falls under the Atlanta 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: (229) 468-4121 ext. 2225. ICE lists that line as answered between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. For an urgent message, leave the detainee’s full name and alien registration number (A-number), plus your own name and a phone number where you can be reached; the detainee is given the message. Detainees cannot receive incoming calls — they place outgoing calls themselves. Have the person’s biographical information ready when you call (first, last and hyphenated names, any aliases, date of birth, and country of birth). ICE says the facility has tablets, and that information on sending a detainee a non-confidential message is at Jailatm.com.

Visiting in person

ICE’s page for this facility (last updated 08/06/2026, checked October 3, 2026) publishes these rules for friends and family:

• How to schedule: call (229) 468-4121 ext. 2250 to schedule a visit.
• How much time: each detainee receives two one-hour blocks of visitation time per week, and each visit counts as one hour regardless of how long it lasts.
• How: all family and other social visits are non-contact.
• Who: visitors coming alone must be at least 18. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, and proof of that relationship is required — ICE names a birth certificate or a court-ordered guardianship.
• ID: visitors must have government-issued photo identification with them.
• What you can carry in: visitors may not carry any items into the visitation area or pass anything to a detainee.

Everyone entering the facility or the visitation area is subject to a pat-down search, an inspection of belongings and a metal scan; anyone who refuses a reasonable search is not admitted, and visitors who are or appear intoxicated are turned away. No firearms or weapons of any kind anywhere in the facility, and no electronic devices (cell phones, pagers, radios) in the secure areas. ICE lists free public parking at the facility. As of October 3, 2026, ICE’s page for this facility publishes no visitor dress code.

Sending mail, commissary funds, and personal items

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”. ICE’s 2019 national standard allows more than that. Under ICE’s National Detention Standards, Revised 2019, §5.1(E) — cited here for comparison only, because ICE’s inspectors say this facility operates under the U.S. Marshals Service Federal Performance-Based Detention Standards (May 2025) instead (see the inspection record below), 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); PBNDS 2011 also requires the envelope to be labeled “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

• Mailing address: ICE says mail should be addressed to Jail ATM/Irwin County Detention Center, then the detainee’s name and A-number, then 925 B Peachtree St. NE, Box 2062, Atlanta, GA 30309.
• What the jail will not accept through the mail: ICE lists packages, obscene or pornographic materials, personal checks, cashier’s checks, postage stamps or stamped envelopes, any type of food, and periodicals not sent directly from the publisher.
• Letters must include the last four digits of the detainee’s A-number, plus the sender’s name and address. 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 the housing units.
• Money: money is not to be given directly to the detainee. ICE lists three routes: calling CSG at 1-877-618-3516; the websites Csgpay.com or jailatm.com; or the U.S. Postal Service to 132 Cotton Drive, Ocilla, GA 31774, with the detainee’s name and A-number on the money order. Funds that arrive in the mail are taken to the processing area to be placed on the account, and the processing officer gives a receipt. ICE says detainees are cautioned not to have cash sent to them in the mail. The page does not say who a money order should be made payable to; confirm that with the facility at (229) 468-4121 before mailing it.
• Packages: ICE limits them to items needed solely for travel or release from custody, with the ICE Deportation Officer’s approval, and says to call (229) 468-4121 ext. 2262 and speak to the property officer before sending one.
• Stamps: detainees may buy them; indigent detainees (no means of 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 returned to sender.
• 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, laptops, radios) are accepted.

For how deposit routes differ from facility to facility, see how to send money to someone in ICE detention.

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.

Legal visits, video calls and legal documents

ICE says only legal representatives, legal assistants and interpreters may participate in legal calls and video (VTC) meetings at Irwin County Detention Center; clients’ family members and friends are not permitted (checked October 23, 2026).

ICE’s page for this facility publishes these channels for legal representatives (checked October 3, 2026):

• G-28s can be submitted through ICE’s online platform ERO eFile. Facility staff do not have access to ERO eFile, so representatives should bring a downloaded copy of the submitted G-28 to any in-person or remote legal visit.
• Case information: as of October 3, 2026, ICE’s page sends case-information requests about people detained here to an individual ICE officer’s email address, not to a general mailbox; we do not reproduce personal staff addresses, so use the one on ICE’s page (linked above). ICE notes that this mailbox does not accept applications for a stay of removal or case appeals. To learn who a client’s Deportation Officer is, ICE directs representatives to the Atlanta Field Office contact at (229) 468-4121 ext. 2283, and a G-28 must be on file before any information is disclosed.
• Legal calls and video (VTC) meetings: legal calls can be scheduled through the main office at (229) 468-4121 ext. 2252. Video meetings and confidential legal phone calls can be requested by email at Irwin.Legal@irwincdc.com, and the facility’s court officers email back a confirmed date and time; the email should give the representative’s name and contact details, the detainee’s name and A-number, a few proposed dates and times, a scan of the representative’s government-issued ID, proof of active legal-representative status (such as a bar card) and the G-28 (unless the meeting is pre-representational). Appointments should be made 24 hours ahead, are scheduled from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in 30- to 60-minute increments, and no representative may have more than one 60-minute appointment with a detainee in a single day. ICE adds that representatives and their staff may not video- or audio-record any virtual or in-person visit or call. If a legal assistant is the only legal representative to join the call, the email should also attach a letter of authorization on the firm’s/organization’s letterhead and a scan of the assistant’s identification.
• Legal documents: When timely communication through the mail is not possible, the facility administrator may, at their discretion, allow a reasonable amount of electronic written communication between the detainee and their designated legal representative. Representatives can send legal correspondence to Irwin.Legal@irwincdc.com or by fax to (229) 468-5743, marking it as legal correspondence and including a cover sheet with the detainee’s full name, A-number, the sender’s return fax number, the total pages, and the notation “Legal Mail”. ICE says the documents are inspected for contraband but not read, and are delivered to the detainee; requests are processed Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding holidays.

Free legal providers

ICE says a list of pro bono (free) legal organizations, updated quarterly, is posted in the housing units, and that it is the detainee’s own responsibility to contact a provider for an appointment. ICE’s facility page does not name the immigration court that hears the cases of people held here, so we do not tie this facility to one court’s provider list. The court can be confirmed from the A-number through EOIR’s hotline at 1-800-898-7180; EOIR’s List of Pro Bono Legal Service Providers (October 2026 edition) is organized by court.

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 Atlanta 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:

• Comments on the service provided: Field Office Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 180 Ted Turner Drive SW, Atlanta, GA 30303.
• A misconduct complaint to the field office: the same Field Office Director address, or (404) 893-1210.
• 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.
• DHS OIG in writing: DHS Office of Inspector General, Attn: Office of Investigations - Hotline, 245 Murray Drive, Building 410 Stop: 2600, Washington, DC 20528 · DHSOIGHOTLINE@DHS.GOV.

A news reporter who wants to interview someone held here must apply in writing to the Atlanta Field Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations. 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.

ICE inspection record

Additional historical findings.

• March 2020: ODO’s report says it assessed 17 standards under PBNDS 2008 and one under PBNDS 2011 (Revised 2016). ODO found compliance with five standards and 36 deficiencies in the remaining 13.
• December 2020: ODO’s report says the facility stored chemicals without a proper secondary-containment system.
• April 2021: ODO’s report says the facility had no written plan addressing management of hepatitis A, B and C.

ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight (ODO), part of ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility, inspected this facility from February 25 to March 24, 2026, a period that included a one-day on-site visit on March 24, 2026 (ODO report, Inspection 2026-006-107). ODO explains that U.S. Marshals Service facilities complete an ODO-assisted self-inspection, with 30 calendar days to complete it and ODO staff on site for one day toward the end of that window. What the report says:

• Who runs it: the facility opened in 1992 and is owned and operated by LaSalle Corrections; ICE began housing detainees there in 2025 under ERO Atlanta. It is a U.S. Marshals Service–contracted facility where ICE is an authorized user, operating under the USMS Federal Performance-Based Detention Standards (FPBDS) (May 2025), and it holds male and female detainees of low, medium-low, medium-high and high security classification for periods longer than 72 hours.
• Staffing and services: ERO deportation officers are assigned full time and are on site Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. LaSalle Corrections provides food service, Correct Med provides medical care, and Correct Commissary provides commissary. The facility holds no outside accreditations.
• Findings: compliant with all 21 FPBDS standards reviewed; no deficiencies.
• Detainee interviews: ODO interviewed seven detainees; none alleged discrimination, mistreatment or abuse, and all reported satisfaction with facility services.
• Rating: Superior. ODO calls this its first inspection of the facility, so it made no trend comparison; ICE’s inspections page also lists older reports under the Irwin County Detention Center name (2013, 2017 and two in 2020) and a 2021 follow-up under the name Irwin County Jail.

ODO redacts bed-capacity and population counts in the published report; for population, see the ICE statistics box above. ICE lists every posted report on its ODO facility inspections page.

Earlier DHS Inspector General report (January 3, 2022). After complaints it received in September 2020, the DHS Office of Inspector General reviewed medical care at Irwin under its previous ICE contract (OIG-22-14, Medical Processes and Communication Protocols Need Improvement at Irwin County Detention Center). The OIG says the facility generally met ICE detention standards on access to medical, dental and mental health care, but its contract medical team found chronic care, continuity of care and medical policies and procedures inadequate, and the OIG found detainees’ communication with and access to their ICE deportation officers limited. ICE did not concur with four of the five recommendations because, it said, it no longer housed detainees at the facility and its contract had ended on October 7, 2021.

Earlier inspection — April 26-30, 2021. In its follow-up compliance inspection, ODO recorded these historical findings:

• All 12 reviewed special management unit records lacked the activity officer’s printed name and signature.
• The facility medical officer had not signed any of the 12 special management unit records when visiting detainees.

These findings concern the 2021 inspection, not current conditions.

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 Georgia
• Other ICE detention facilities in Georgia
• All facilities under the Atlanta Field Office
• How to send money to someone in ICE detention