Sherburne County Jail Services

Sherburne County Jail Services is an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) detention facility located in Elk River, Minnesota. It falls under the St. Paul Field Office ERO field office area of responsibility.

Facility quick reference

How to locate or contact a detainee

ICE’s tool for locating someone in its custody is the ICE Online Detainee Locator System at locator.ice.gov. A search needs 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: (763) 765-3800. ICE says the caller gives the detainee’s full name, alien registration number (A-number), and the caller’s own name and a phone number where the caller can be reached, and the facility passes the message on. Detainees cannot receive incoming calls — they place outgoing calls themselves. ICE asks callers to have the person’s biographical information ready (full legal name and any aliases, date of birth, and country of birth). ICE says the information line can be called between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. (checked October 16, 2026); this facility’s visiting times are listed below.

Visiting in person

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

• On-site visiting times: weekdays at 8:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.; weekends at 10:30 a.m.; government holidays at 10:30 a.m.
• Scheduling: walk-in visits are not allowed; all visits must be scheduled ahead of time.
• Where and how: on-site visitation is at Door “I” of the Sherburne County Government Center, in the public video visitation area. All family and other social visits are non-contact. On-site visits are free of charge. ICE says free public parking is available at the facility, with designated visitor parking marked.
• ID: visitors must present a valid government-issued photo ID, such as an official driver’s license, a state-issued identification card or a military identification card.
• What you cannot bring: no tobacco products, cell phones or other electronic devices in the visitation area, and no storage is provided for them during a visit. Visitors may not carry any items into the visitation area, or pass or attempt to pass any items to detainees. No firearms or weapons of any kind are permitted.
• 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 is not admitted.
• Conduct: appropriate dress is required (ICE refers visitors to the county’s Video Visitation Rules). Visitors must supervise children; a visit may be terminated if children’s behavior interferes with other visits. Visitors who are, or appear to be, intoxicated, or who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, are not allowed in. Violating the visitation guidelines can result in suspension of visiting privileges.
• Remote video visits (from home): by appointment only, scheduled 24 hours in advance by registering online at NCIC.com; they can be funded with an existing Inmate Telephone account, or an account can be set up at NCIC.com. They cost $0.27 per minute. Inmates are allowed 5 remote visits per day, which can be scheduled every day of the week from 8:30 a.m. to 8:50 p.m. (“times may vary due to jail lockdown times”). Remote video visits, except attorney and clergy visits, are recorded and subject to electronic monitoring by the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office.
• Consular officials may meet with their detained nationals at any time; ICE requests that they make prior arrangements with the ICE Supervisory Deportation Officer, at (612) 409-7799, to the extent possible, and bring appropriate credentials.
• Clergy may visit at any time, but must make prior arrangements with the Chaplain’s Office.

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 (File Number), plus the sender’s name and address (checked October 16, 2026). 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 under the Federal Performance-Based Detention Standards (FPBDS, May 2025) instead (report dated June 25, 2026) (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). An ordinary letter is not special correspondence under that standard. 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 this facility’s ICE page:

• 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. Detainees may seal their outgoing letters; outgoing mail is routed to the post office within 24 hours of receipt by facility staff. A mail pick-up and delivery schedule is posted in all housing units.
• Money by mail: funds that arrive in the mail are taken to the processing area to be placed into the detainee’s account, and the processing officer gives a receipt for all funds received. 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.
• Commissary deposits (county page, checked October 19, 2026): Sherburne County’s Commissary Account page lists three (3) ways to deposit money: a kiosk in the video visiting area during visiting hours; a kiosk in the jail lobby at Door “D”, available Monday–Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., cash deposits only; and Access Corrections, online or by phone at 1-866-345-1884. The county charges a fee for kiosk, online and telephone deposits, and, for telephone deposits, says “The money is generally deposited into your account within 15 minutes.”
• Packages: ICE says a detainee may receive items determined to be necessary for the sole purpose of travel or release from agency custody, with the ICE Deportation Officer’s approval. ICE says the St. Paul ICE/ERO Office at 612-843-8600 is contacted before a package is sent.
• Eyeglasses (county page, checked October 19, 2026): Sherburne County says eyeglasses delivered to the facility are not accepted and are returned to sender, and eyeglasses may not be dropped off at the facility. The county says inmates can buy reading glasses through commissary or are provided reading glasses if they cannot afford them, and can see an optometrist, and receive eyewear if prescribed, by submitting a sick call slip to the jail clinic.
• 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.
• 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 by tablet: ICE says the facility has tablets and points to Sherburne County’s jail web page for how to send a non-confidential message.

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

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

• G-28s can be submitted through ERO eFile. Facility staff do not have access to ERO eFile at this time, so ICE says representatives should download copies of their submitted G-28 for any in-person or remote legal visit.
• In-person attorney visits: attorneys and/or paralegals may visit their clients Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. To schedule in-person visits, phone calls or Zoom court appearances, or to communicate with the jail about a client, ICE gives jail.visits@co.sherburne.mn.us. The page also says “our professional visiting hours only occur during business hours” and that a client can be visited outside these hours or days by a remote visit through NCIC.
• Legal video-conferencing: attorneys and other professional visitors can set up an online visiting account on NCIC.com or by calling the NCIC call center at 1-800-943-2189. Attorney remote video visits are excluded from the recording described above.
• Documents for a detained client: ICE lists an “Email for Documents to Inmates”: scsojaildocs@co.sherburne.mn.us. General questions: jail-asst@co.sherburne.mn.us.
• Case information: requests go to StPaul.Outreach@ice.dhs.gov; this mailbox does not accept applications for Stay of Removal or Case Appeals.
• Deportation Officer: ICE says a client’s Deportation Officer can be identified through the Field Office at (612) 409-7799; a G-28 must be on file for any information to be disclosed.
• Pro bono list: a list of free legal organizations is posted in all detainee housing units and updated quarterly; contacting an 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 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, Suite 1640, Fort Snelling, Minnesota 55111, phone (612) 409-7799.
• 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 (as listed on the ICE page): DHS Office of Inspector General, Attn: Office of Investigations - Hotline, 245 Murray Drive, Building 410 Stop: 2600, Washington, DC 20528; fax (202) 245-5217; DHSOIGHOTLINE@DHS.GOV.

A news reporter who wants to interview someone held here 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 a detainee has the right not to be interviewed, photographed or recorded by the media, and the reporter must first obtain the detainee’s written permission. Media inquiries about ICE activities go to the ICE Office of Public Affairs at ICEMedia@ice.dhs.gov.

ICE inspection record

ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight (ODO), part of ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility, issued Inspection 2026-006-142 of the Sherburne County Jail in Elk River, Minnesota, in a report dated June 25, 2026 (ODO report). Per ICE’s June 2026 inspection, the report presents its findings by the Federal Performance-Based Detention Standards (May 2025) and lists ERO Saint Paul.

Earlier inspections

ODO’s earlier reports on the Sherburne County Jail say:

• June 14–16, 2022, use of force: ODO found that the facility administrator had not signed either of the two after-action reports reviewed to acknowledge the appropriateness of the findings.

• November 1–4, 2021, segregation records: ODO found that the housing officer who conducted the activity had not signed the record in 226 out of 1050 shifts reviewed.

• November 1–4, 2021, medication records: ODO found that the health care provider had not documented all medications administered to detainees or refused by them in the medication administration records reviewed.

• June 14–16, 2022 — Follow-Up Compliance Inspection (NDS 2019) (report): ODO interviewed five detainees. Findings included nine of nine administrative-segregation files with no written record of the decision and its justification, and no dishwasher temperature checks recorded during 40 of 330 meal services. The report also says the facility allows detainees to lead congregational prayers in the housing units but not in the gymnasium, which detainees may use only when an imam is available to lead the Jumma prayer.

• November 1–4, 2021 — Compliance Inspection (NDS 2019) (report): conducted remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic. ODO interviewed four detainees (9 of the 13 held declined) and found the facility in compliance with 14 of 19 standards, with seven deficiencies in the remaining five. Findings included a facility handbook that automatically treated all newspaper articles in a detainee’s possession as contraband, and five suicide-watch log entries logged 16–22 minutes apart, beyond the 15-minute requirement.

287(g) agreements in Sherburne County

This facility is in Sherburne County, Minnesota (per the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder for the address ICE publishes). ICE's 287(g) participating-agencies workbook, dated October 9, 2026, records 1 agreement 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 Minnesota
• Other ICE detention facilities in Minnesota
• All facilities under the St. Paul Field Office