How do I confirm someone is in the Albert Lea jail?
The St. Paul office, not the jail, is ICE's named contact: call (612) 409-7799 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. with the full name, aliases, date of birth and country of birth. First run the ICE Online Detainee Locator with the A-number or name and country of birth, keeping in mind that it can lag 8 hours. The county's website also links a Jail Roster, a local check worth trying. The Albert Lea entry in the ICE facilities directory is not evidence about one person.
Is visiting by video only?
The Sheriff's Office sheet says visitation is by video only, at lobby stations in the Law Enforcement Center or online at inmatecanteen.com. Online visits carry a fee; the lobby has none. It says the lobby is open Monday through Friday until 4:30 p.m. ICE's page, updated August 6, 2026, says until 5 p.m., yet also lists 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and Sundays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. by appointment. Ask at (507) 377-4683. For Intake or Segregation, call (507) 377-4681. Intake detainees must first appear before a Freeborn County judge to be eligible.
What are the lobby time blocks and dress rules?
ICE sorts weekday hours by status: 8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. for segregated detainees, 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. with a general population note of 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. for isolated detainees. Visits cap at 20 minutes, and ICE asks for arrival 45 minutes early with government ID. The sheriff bars sleeveless tops, hats, shorts, mini-skirts, see-through clothing and camouflage, and children aged 10 or younger may be barred from shorts. Cell phones are prohibited in the rooms, and visits are monitored.
How do I send mail, money or an urgent message?
Address letters to the detainee's name, PO Box 170, Albert Lea, MN 56007, by U.S. Postal Service only, with the last 4 digits of the A-number and your name and address. Letters, plain greeting cards and 3 photos are allowed, but no Polaroids. For money, use the Turnkey kiosk in the Law Enforcement lobby (paper money and credit cards, no coins or personal checks), mail a money order payable to the detainee, or pay by card at secure.inmatecanteen.com. Do not mail cash. Calls cannot come in, so urgent messages go to (507) 377-5093 with the full name, A-number and your number.
Who deals with the case and court dates?
ICE's St. Paul office covers Minnesota at 1 Federal Drive, Suite 1601, Fort Snelling, with (612) 843-8723 on weekends and holidays. Send case questions to StPaul.Outreach@ice.dhs.gov; it does not accept Stay of Removal applications or Case Appeals. EOIR's control list, updated October 1, 2026, omits this jail, so use the notice to find the hearing. Attorneys may call ahead for visits 7 days a week: 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., and 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. See the bond hearing guide.