Sioux County Jail

Sioux County Jail is an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) detention facility located in Orange City, 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.

ICE publishes two different numbers for this facility. To ask whether someone is held here, call (712) 737-2280. To leave an urgent message for a detainee, call (712) 737-3131 and 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’s page says the detainee-information line (712) 737-2280 takes calls between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. (checked October 16, 2026).

Visiting in person

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

• Scheduling: call (712) 737-3131 to schedule a visit with a detainee. Each detainee can receive 1 visit per week.
• Who may visit: visitors must be at least 18 years of age and have a government-issued photo ID with them. Persons under 18 may only be part of a family visit. They must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, and proof of the relationship is required (proof may be a birth certificate or court-ordered guardianship). Family visits are permitted 1 time in a 6-month period.
• Non-contact: all family or other social visits are non-contact.
• Search and restrictions: everyone requesting admittance is subject to a pat-down search, an inspection of belongings and a metal scan search. Anyone who refuses a reasonable search is not admitted. Visitors may not pass, or attempt to pass, any items to detainees, and may not carry any items into the visitation area. Visitation is not allowed if a visitor is or appears to be intoxicated. No firearms or weapons of any kind are permitted, and no electronic devices (cell phones, pagers, radios, etc.) are allowed in the secure areas.
• 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 they bring appropriate credentials and, to the extent possible, make prior arrangements with the ICE Supervisory Deportation Officer at (402) 536-4861.
• Parking: free public parking is available at the facility.

Sending mail, commissary funds, and personal items

Each facility publishes its own exact format for mail to a detainee. At this facility, ICE’s page says letters must carry the detainee’s name with the last four digits of the A-number, plus the sender’s name and address. It also lists packages among the items the jail does not accept by mail, with the exception described below (checked October 16, 2026). At other facilities, the format differs. 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 we have not confirmed which detention standard governs this facility — 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):

• Address format:

Detainee Name (last 4 of A#)
4363 Ironwood Avenue
Orange City, IA 51041

• Letters must include the last four digits of the detainee’s A-number, plus the sender’s name and address. All incoming mail is subject to screening for contraband. Detainees may seal their outgoing letters, and 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.

• Not accepted by mail: 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.

• Money: money is not to be given directly to the detainee. It can be placed on the detainee’s account in three ways:

  • by calling Jail ATM (Stellar Services) at 1-866-933-6386;
  • through jailatm.com;
  • by money order sent via the U.S. Postal Service to Sioux County Jail, 4363 Ironwood Avenue, Orange City, Iowa 51041, with the detainee’s name on the money order.

  Funds received in the mail are placed into the account, and the processing officer gives a receipt. ICE cautions detainees not to have cash sent to them in the mail.

• Packages for travel or release: a detainee may receive items of necessity for the sole purpose of travel or release from custody, with the approval of the ICE Deportation Officer. The Deportation Officer must first contact the jail to say a package is coming for deportation purposes, giving the detainee’s name and A-number.

• 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.

• Stamps: detainees may buy stamps. ICE says “Generally, there is no limit to the amount of correspondence detainees may send at their own expense.” Indigent detainees (those with no means of financial support and no funds in their facility account) receive a postage allowance at government expense.

• Transfers and departures: only legal mail is forwarded. General correspondence is marked “Return to Sender” and returned to the post office.

• Tablets: the facility has tablets. ICE says information on sending a non-confidential message is at reliancetelephone.com.

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), ICE’s page for this facility gives (703) 605-1007, for automated information or a live representative during office hours (checked October 16, 2026). 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 legal visits: legal representatives are authorized to visit their clients at any time.

• G-28s can be submitted through ERO eFile. Facility staff do not have access to it, so ICE says legal representatives should download copies of their submitted G-28 for any in-person or remote legal visit.

• Video teleconference (VTC) meetings and confidential legal calls can be requested by email to jailer2@siouxcounty.org or by calling (712) 737-3131. Appointments should be made 24 hours before the desired time and are scheduled 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. ICE says legal representatives are not limited in the number of VTC appointments they can request, but no representative may have more than one 60-minute appointment with a detainee in a single day.

• What the email should include:

  • the representative’s full name and contact information (phone number(s) and email address);
  • 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 state bar card, attorney license or paralegal license);
  • the DHS Form G-28, unless the meeting 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.

• Who may attend: only legal representatives, legal assistants and interpreters; no family or friends. Outside interpretation services may be contacted during the session. A visitation officer stays outside the confidential room, out of earshot but within eyeshot, and knocks 5 minutes before the cut-off time.

• No recording: representatives and their staff may not video or audio record any virtual or in-person visit or call. A violation may result in suspension or permanent revocation of VAV user privileges.

Sending legal documents to a detained client

• How to send: ICE says legal representatives can send legal correspondence by email to jailer2@siouxcounty.org or by fax to (712) 737-8069. The subject line must make clear that it is legal correspondence/mail, and the documents go as attachments.
• Email body and attachment cover sheet: ICE recommends including the detainee’s full name, A-number, the sender’s return fax number, the total number of pages, and the notation “Legal Mail.”
• Handling: 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.
• Electronic written communication: when timely communication by mail is not possible, the facility administrator may, at his discretion, allow a reasonable amount of electronic written communication between the detainee and the designated legal representative.
• Case information: requests go to StPaul.Outreach@ice.dhs.gov. This mailbox does not accept applications for Stay of Removal or Case Appeals.
• Identifying the Deportation Officer: to learn who a client’s Deportation Officer is, contact the Omaha Sub-Office at StPaul.Outreach@ice.dhs.gov. 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, Suite 1640, Fort Snelling, Minnesota 55111, (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.

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 go to ICEMedia@ice.dhs.gov.

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