La Salle County Regional Detention Center

La Salle County Regional Detention Center is an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) detention facility located in Encinal, Texas. It falls under the San Antonio 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: (956) 948-5193. Give the detainee’s full name, alien registration number (A-number), and your name and telephone 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). Confirm current hours by calling (956) 948-5193 or checking the official ICE page linked above.

Visiting in person

ICE publishes these visiting rules on its page for this facility (updated 08/06/2026; checked October 15, 2026):

Rules ICE lists for visitors: adults need a valid picture ID and must be on the detainee’s visitation list; children 16 or older need ID and must stay under an adult’s direct supervision. Visitors may bring only a valid picture ID and vehicle keys (with an infant: 1 bottle, 1 diaper and 1 small blanket), and vehicles on facility grounds may be searched. Family and social visits are non-contact. ICE’s dress code bars shorts of any length for adults (children under 10 may wear shorts), sleeveless, strapless or bare-midriff tops, mini-skirts, see-through clothing, headgear, open-toe shoes and gang colors. A visit can be denied or ended if a visitor appears to be under the influence, lacks or falsifies ID, refuses a scan or pat search, or breaks facility rules, and ICE says a denial is given in writing. The detainee-information line (956) 948-5193 is answered 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the facility has tablets, and ICE points to TouchPay Online for non-confidential messages.

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 Office of Detention Oversight inspected this facility in January 2026 under the Federal Performance-Based Detention Standards (FPBDS, May 2025) instead (inspection report), 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

• Mailing address: Detainee Name, P.O. Box 540, Encinal, Texas 78019. Letters must show the detainee’s full name and the last four digits of the A-number (File Number), plus the sender’s name and address.
• Items the jail will not accept by mail: packages, obscene or pornographic material, personal checks, cashier’s checks, postage stamps or stamped envelopes, any food, and periodicals not sent directly by the publisher.
• Money: not to be handed to the detainee. ICE lists Touch Pay Online at 1-866-204-1603 or its website, or a money order by U.S. mail to La Salle County Regional Detention Center, P.O. Box 540, Encinal, Texas 78019, with the detainee’s name on the money order.
• Packages: items needed for travel or release require the ICE Deportation Officer’s approval, and the detainee must submit a request to the Warden for approval. Only legal mail is forwarded after a transfer. A detainee being removed may have one small piece of luggage, which can be sent after Supervisory Deportation Officer approval; no electronic devices are accepted.

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.

Case information, video calls and legal documents

• Case information: ICE directs requests to SanAntonio.Outreach@ice.dhs.gov (no stay-of-removal applications or case appeals). To learn a client’s deportation officer, ICE lists (210) 231-4505; a G-28 must be on file. G-28s can be filed through ERO eFile, which facility staff cannot access, so ICE says to download a copy for any legal visit.
• Video and legal calls: email remands.lscdc@co.la-salle.tx.us (court officers reply with a confirmed time) or call (956) 948-5193 for the court room officer; book 24 hours ahead. Appointments run 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in 30- to 60-minute increments, one 60-minute appointment per representative per detainee per day, and representatives may not record any visit or call. A scan of the representative’s government-issued ID, proof of active legal-representative status, and the attorney’s G-28 should accompany the email; the G-28 is not needed for a pre-representational visit. If a legal assistant is the only legal representative joining, the email should also attach an authorization letter on the firm’s or organization’s letterhead and a scan of the assistant’s ID.
• Legal documents: When timely communication by 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. ICE lists 213LOP@geogroup.com or SanAntonio.Outreach@ice.dhs.gov, with a subject line marking the message as legal mail and the detainee’s full name, A-number, return fax number and page count. Documents are inspected for contraband but not read, and are processed Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. CST, excluding holidays.

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 San Antonio 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.

ICE inspection record

The ODO compliance inspection of August 6–8, 2019 records:

• ODO found that the facility’s orientation procedures and its release procedures had not been reviewed and approved by the local ERO field office; ODO reported that ERO San Antonio reviewed and approved both before the inspection ended.
• ODO found one inoperable telephone in the detainee housing units.

ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight (ODO) inspected this facility from December 10, 2025 to January 8, 2026, including a one-day on-site visit on January 8, 2026 (ODO report, Inspection 2026-006-018). The report calls it ODO’s first inspection of the facility (an ODO-assisted self-inspection, OASIP), although ICE’s ODO page also lists reports for this facility dated Mar. 5-7, 2013 and Aug. 6-8, 2019. It was the most recent report for it on ICE’s ODO facility inspections page when we checked on October 15, 2026. What the report says:

• Who runs it: the facility opened in 2005 and is owned and operated by the La Salle County Sheriff’s Office; ERO began housing detainees there in 2011 under ERO San Antonio. 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 detainees of low and medium-low security classification for periods longer than 72 hours.
• ICE presence and services: ERO San Antonio deportation officers are not assigned full time; they make weekly scheduled visits on Wednesdays and Fridays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Labatt Food Service provides food, the facility provides medical care, and Correctional Food Service provides commissary. The facility was certified under the Department of Justice PREA standards after an October 2023 audit.
• Findings: compliant with all 21 standards reviewed; no deficiencies. ODO interviewed three detainees; none alleged discrimination, mistreatment or abuse, and all three reported satisfaction with facility services.
• Rating: Superior.

ODO redacts bed-capacity and population counts in the published report; for population, see the ICE statistics box above.

Earlier inspection

• March 5–7, 2013: ODO reviewed 18 NDS, found compliance with 14, and identified seven deficiencies: Environmental Health and Safety (1), Food Service (2), Funds and Personal Property (1), and Medical Care (3). Source.
• Sick call observed in March 2013: nurses collected completed request forms from secure drop boxes twice daily and triaged and addressed complaints within 48 hours using problem-specific, physician-approved protocols for over-the-counter medications, non-pharmaceutical treatment instructions and patient education. Source.

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 Texas
• Other ICE detention facilities in Texas
• All facilities under the San Antonio Field Office