Polk County Jail
Des Moines, Iowa · 7 well-documented stories
What stands out here
Conditions that appear in a larger share of this facility's stories than of facility stories in general. Stories run from Nov 2025 to Apr 2026.
No custody conditions coded in these stories.
Everything the stories describe here
No custody conditions coded.
In their words
No verbatim testimony extracted yet.
Stories
Jagdish S.: Asylum-seeking truck driver with work permit detained by ICE in IowaTruck driver Jagdish Singh, an Indian citizen with work authorization through 2029 and a pending asylum case, was arrested at an Iowa weigh station in February. A federal judge ruled his detention violated his due process rights.Iowa · Apr 20, 2026 · Tomball-The Woodlands News, Little Village Magazine
Asylum-seeking truck drivers with work permits detained by ICE in IowaTwo immigrant truck drivers, one from Pakistan and one from India, were detained along Interstate 80 despite having work permits and pending asylum cases. Both are now suing over their detentions.Iowa · Apr 3, 2026 · KWQC, Des Moines Register, Iowa Capital Dispatch +1
Suraj V.: Asylum-seeking truck driver arrested by ICE at Iowa weigh stationSuraj Vasal, an Indian asylum seeker and truck driver, was arrested at an Iowa weigh station during a trucker crackdown. A judge found his rights violated and ordered a bond hearing by April 30 or his release.Polk County, IA · Mar 27, 2026 · KCRG, Iowa Capital Dispatch, Des Moines Register +1- Syed A.: Indian truck driver with work permit detained by Iowa troopers and ICESyed Abbas, an Indian truck driver with work authorization and a pending asylum case, was detained after Iowa troopers stopped his truck and wrongly checked his status. He is now suing ICE and local officials.Mitchellville, IA · Mar 4, 2026 · Iowa Public Radio, Iowa Capital Dispatch, KWQC +1
Abhishek K.: Indian truck driver held without bond hearing after ICE stop in IowaAbhishek Kumar, a truck driver from India, was detained at an Iowa weigh station in February and held without a bond hearing. He is suing for release or a hearing.Mitchellville, IA · Feb 11, 2026 · KCRG, Little Village Magazine, Iowa Capital Dispatch
Lucia R.C.: Des Moines mother of three jailed by ICE after traffic stopLucia Rojas De La Cruz, a mother of three who has lived in the U.S. for 23 years, was detained by ICE after a routine traffic stop and denied a bond hearing twice.Carlisle, IA · Dec 30, 2025 · KCRG, Iowa Capital Dispatch, Ottumwa Radio
Leticia J.: Native American woman nearly deported after jail clerical errorLeticia Jacobo, 24, a Native American woman from Arizona, was nearly deported after a Des Moines jail mistakenly placed another detainee's ICE hold on her file. Her family's tribal ID helped secure her release.Des Moines, IA · Nov 13, 2025 · Iowa Public Radio, We Are Iowa, The Nonpareil +2
Where people stood at the latest report
Each square is one percent of these stories. Read it with care: people who are still detained or already deported have far less access to reporters and lawyers than people who were released, so this mix reflects who gets covered more than how cases end.
- Still detained 71%
- Released 14%
- Unknown 14%