Home/ Facilities/ Freeborn County Jail — Albert Lea MN, ACLU Injunction Won Jan 2026
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Freeborn County Jail — Albert Lea MN, ACLU Injunction Won Jan 2026

Freeborn, MN FIPS 27047
138 beds
Bed capacity
Operator: Freeborn County Sheriff

Overview

The Freeborn County Adult Detention Center in Albert Lea is a 138-bed facility that has held ICE detainees under an IGSA for years. In March 2025, the sheriff unilaterally signed a 287(g) WSO agreement. On December 18, 2025, the ACLU of Minnesota and Maslon LLP filed suit on behalf of four Freeborn County taxpayers, challenging the agreement as illegal under state law.

On January 16, 2026, the court granted a preliminary injunction — the first successful legal challenge to a 287(g) agreement in Minnesota.

Why This Facility Matters

Freeborn County is the test case for the legal strategy against 287(g) agreements in Minnesota. The ACLU’s taxpayer-standing theory — that county residents can challenge illegal expenditures of their tax dollars — creates a template that could be applied to every 287(g) agreement in the state.

The county is also USDA-classified as budget-distressed (population loss, non-metro), fitting the pattern of fiscally vulnerable rural counties that see ICE detention revenue as economic development.

The injunction does not terminate the underlying IGSA for holding ICE detainees — it specifically blocks the 287(g) enforcement component that allows jail staff to serve ICE warrants on inmates.

Key Facts

  • IGSA: Active (longstanding, one of three MN jails)
  • 287(g) WSO: Signed March 26, 2025; enjoined January 16, 2026
  • Capacity: 138 beds
  • Average daily pop: 41 ICE detainees (Vera Institute historical)
  • Staffing: 5 sergeants, 30 line staff, 2 programmers, 1 ICE contract administrator
  • Budget distress: USDA score 3/10 (population loss, non-metro)
  • AOR: St. Paul Field Office
  • FIPS: 27047

Sources

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Last updated: Apr 13, 2026