Polk County Jail

Polk County Jail is an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) detention facility located in Des Moines, Iowa. 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, call the number ICE publishes for detainee information: (515) 323-5400. Have the detainee’s full name, alien registration number (A-number), date of birth and country of birth ready. ICE says this line can be called between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., and that the facility’s public lobby is open Monday–Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (checked October 16, 2026). ICE’s page for this facility lists no urgent-message line. ICE says the facility has tablets, and that information on sending a non-confidential message is on Polk County’s own “Jail How Do I…” page. ICE asks callers to have the person’s biographical information ready (first, last and hyphenated names, any aliases, date of birth and country of birth). The visiting schedule ICE publishes is listed under Visiting in person below.

Visiting in person

ICE’s page for Polk County Jail lists this schedule (checked October 16, 2026):

• ICE says visitation hours may be adjusted on holidays or due to other events.
• Booking: all off-site visits must be scheduled at least one day in advance. A remote visit can be scheduled up to 3 weeks in advance. ICE says “SAME‐DAY REMOTE VISITS FOR STANDARD VISITORS ARE PROHIBITED”; “Qualified Professionals” can schedule a remote visit with 1 hour notice.
• Dress: attire must be conservative, clean, in good repair and non-offensive. Skirts and shorts must be mid-thigh in length. Sleeveless shirts are permitted, but tank tops, halter tops and spaghetti straps are prohibited.
• Conduct and items: a visitor who appears to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs will not be permitted to visit. Visitors found with illegal contraband may be subject to arrest and criminal prosecution. Tobacco products, gum, soda and other food items are prohibited in the visiting area.
• Who may be refused: prospective visitors with known felony charges are denied access. ICE says failure to comply with these rules may result in the visit being denied. Illegal or illicit behavior (including disrobing or sexual behavior) ends the visit. The visitor is then blocked from further visits to any inmate in the Polk County Jail and is subject to criminal prosecution. ICE adds that the inmate may also be charged with violation of the visiting rules, which may result in loss of visitation privileges.
• Parking: ICE says free on-street parking is available.

Sending mail, commissary funds, and personal items

Letters and packages sent to a detainee must show the detainee’s full name and A-number, along with the sender’s name and return address — and each facility publishes its own exact format. 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 national standard allows more than that. Under ICE’s National Detention Standards, Revised 2019, §5.1(E), 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

Checked October 16, 2026, on ICE’s page for this facility:

• Letters must include the last four digits of the detainee’s A-number (File 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.
• Stamps: detainees may buy them. ICE says “Generally, there is no limit to the amount of correspondence detainees may send at their own expense.” Indigent detainees (no means of financial support and no funds in their facility account) get a postage allowance at government expense.
• Money by mail: funds a detainee receives in the mail are taken to the processing area and placed into the detainee’s account, and the processing officer provides a receipt. ICE says “Detainees are cautioned not to have cash sent to them in the mail.” ICE’s page for this facility describes no other deposit method.
• Packages: only items determined necessary for the sole purpose of travel or release from custody are allowed, and only with the ICE Deportation Officer’s approval. They must be received by mail. ICE asks senders to contact the Des Moines ICE/ERO Office at (515) 323-2413 before sending one.
• 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.

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

Checked October 16, 2026, on ICE’s page for this facility:

• G-28s for people detained here can be submitted through ERO eFile. ICE says facility staff will not have access to ERO eFile “at this time”, so legal representatives should download copies of their submitted G-28 for any in-person or remote legal visit.
• Remote visits: ICE says “Qualified Professionals” have the ability to schedule a remote visit with 1 hour notice. ICE’s page publishes no separate schedule for in-person legal visits.
• Case information: ICE says requests for case information about people detained at the Polk County Jail go to StPaul.Outreach@ice.dhs.gov, and that this mailbox does not accept applications for Stay of Removal or Case Appeals.
• Finding the Deportation Officer: ICE says a client’s Deportation Officer can be identified through the Omaha Sub-Office at (402) 536-4861, and that 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, 1 Federal Drive, Ste 1640, Ft. Snelling, MN 55111. ICE lists the phone number (612) 409-7799 for misconduct complaints.
• 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.
• Media: inquiries about ICE activities go to the ICE Office of Public Affairs at ICEMedia@ice.dhs.gov. A news media representative who wants to interview a detainee must apply in writing to the St. Paul 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 “Ordinarily, live television or radio interviews will not be permitted in the facility.” 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

ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight (ODO), part of ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility, inspected Polk County Jail on February 4–6, 2025 (Compliance Inspection 2025-001-052; ODO report). The report groups its findings by the National Detention Standards (NDS) 2019 and names ERO Saint Paul. Per ICE’s February 2025 inspection, the deficiencies include:

Earlier inspections. ICE’s ODO facility inspections page also lists these earlier reports for Polk County Jail, Des Moines, Iowa (checked October 19, 2026):

• November 19–21, 2019
• March 8–12, 2021
• July 12–16, 2021 (follow-up)
• January 24–27, 2022
• August 9–11, 2022

The inspection reports themselves say:

• July 31 – August 2, 2018: the Nakamoto Group inspection letter identifies sixteen (16) deficient components in ten (10) standards.
• January 24-26, 2023: ODO reports 40 deficiencies in 11 standards.
• July 18-20, 2023: the ODO follow-up report records 24 deficiencies in 11 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 Iowa
• Other ICE detention facilities in Iowa
• All facilities under the St. Paul Field Office