Seneca County Jail

Seneca County Jail is an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) detention facility located in Tiffin, Ohio. It falls under the Detroit 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: (419) 448-5074. 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). ICE says the detainee-information line (419) 448-5074 takes calls between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. (checked October 16, 2026). The facility has tablets; ICE points to the cidnet and Pay Tel web sites for information on sending a detainee a non-confidential message. Visiting hours are listed below.

Visiting in person

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

• Friends and family visits — Sundays: males 8 a.m.–10 a.m., 12:30 p.m.–4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.; females 10 a.m.–11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.
• Arrival: all visitors must arrive 45 minutes before the scheduled visit time, to allow processing through security.
• ID: adult visitors must present a valid, verifiable government-issued identification card to enter.
• 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.
• Non-contact: all family or other social visits are non-contact. Visitors may not pass or attempt to pass any items to detainees and may not carry any items into the visitation area. Visitors who are or appear to be intoxicated will not be allowed to visit.
• Search: everyone requesting admittance 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.
• Video visits are offered Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays; detainees are permitted one video visit per day. ICE refers to the cidnet web site for details.
• Clergy may visit at any time but must make prior arrangements with the Chaplain’s Office.
• Consular officials may meet with their detained nationals at any time. ICE asks that prior arrangements be made with the ICE Supervisory Deportation Officer, (216) 535-0368, to the extent possible, and that consular officials bring appropriate credentials.
• Parking: free public parking is available at the facility.

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 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 August 2026 under the National Detention Standards (NDS) 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

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

• 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.
• Money: money is not to be given directly to the detainee; it can be placed on the detainee’s account via the JailATM web site. Funds a detainee receives in the mail are placed into the detainee’s account at the processing area, and the processing officer gives a receipt. ICE says detainees are cautioned not to have cash sent to them in the mail.
• Packages: the detainee must have prior approval from ICE. 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 detainee 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

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

• In-person attorney visits: legal representatives are authorized to visit their clients daily, 7 a.m.–10 p.m.
• G-28s can be submitted through ERO eFile. Facility staff do not have access to ERO eFile, so representatives should download copies of their submitted G-28 for any in-person or remote legal visit.
• Video teleconference (VTC) meetings and confidential legal phone calls are requested by email at AttorneyVisitScheduling@senecacountyohio.gov; Seneca County staff email back with a confirmed date and time. Appointments should be made 48 hours before the desired time, are scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in 60-minute increments, and no legal representative may have more than one 60-minute appointment with a detainee in a single day (ICE says representatives are not limited in the number of appointments they can request).
• The email should include the representative’s full name and contact details (phone and email), the detainee’s name and alien number, the Zoom meeting ID and password, 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 attorney’s 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.
• Case information: requests go to Detroit.Outreach@ice.dhs.gov; ICE says this mailbox does not accept applications for Stay of Removal or Case Appeals.
• Identifying the Deportation Officer: ICE says representatives can get this from the Cleveland ERO Office at (216) 749-9200; a G-28 must be on file for any information to be disclosed.

Sending legal documents to a detained client

ICE says legal representatives can send legal correspondence by email to AttorneyVisitScheduling@senecacountyohio.gov, stating in the subject line that it is legal correspondence/mail and attaching the documents, including in the email body and on the attachment cover sheet the detainee’s full name, A-number, the sender’s return fax number, the total number of pages, and the notation “Legal Mail.” The documents are inspected for contraband but not read, then delivered. Requests are processed Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding holidays. When timely communication through the mail is not possible, the facility administrator “may, in his discretion” allow a reasonable amount of electronic written communication between the detainee and the designated legal representative.

ICE says the pro bono legal organization list is posted in all detainee housing units and updated quarterly, and that contacting the organization 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 Detroit 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 (checked October 16, 2026) adds these channels:

• Comments on service, or a misconduct complaint to the field office: Field Office Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 985 Michigan Avenue, Suite 207, Detroit, MI 48226, phone (313) 771-6601.
• 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 Detroit 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 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 Seneca County Jail on August 11–13, 2026 (inspection 2026-001-165, ODO report). Per ICE’s August 2026 inspection report:

• Standard: findings are reported by National Detention Standards (NDS) 2025 major categories; the report is filed under ERO Detroit.
• Standards in the findings section: the report’s table of contents lists two standards under “Inspection Findings”: Environmental Health and Safety (Safety) and Use of Force and Restraints (Security).

Earlier inspections. ICE’s ODO facility inspections page also lists these earlier reports for Seneca County Jail, Tiffin, Ohio (checked October 19, 2026):

• June 16–18, 2015
• May 21–23, 2019
• July 27–30, 2020
• December 14–18, 2020
• May 10–12, 2022 — ODO’s follow-up/interim inspection reported compliance with 17 of 19 standards under NDS 2019, seven deficiencies in the remaining two standards, and one Area of Concern.
• October 24–26, 2023 — ODO’s compliance inspection found that the food mixer lacked a safety guard.
• April 30–May 2, 2024 — ODO’s follow-up inspection reported compliance with 13 of 16 standards under NDS 2019 and nine deficiencies in the remaining three standards.

287(g) agreements in Seneca County

This facility is in Seneca County, Ohio (per the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder for the address ICE publishes). ICE's 287(g) participating-agencies workbook, dated October 9, 2026, records 2 agreements 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 Ohio
• Other ICE detention facilities in Ohio
• All facilities under the Detroit Field Office