Iowa Jail Nearly Turned Over Native American Woman to ICE; Officials Call It a "Clerical Error"

What happened

On Nov. 13, 2025, social posts claimed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attempted to deport 24-year-old Native American woman Leticia Jacobo. The allegation spread widely online and prompted searches on fact-checking sites.

Verified facts

The core claim—that an ICE detainer was linked to Jacobo—was corroborated. Polk County, Iowa, authorities acknowledged that the Department of Homeland Security issued a detainer associated with her name, but the sheriff's office characterized the episode as a "clerical mistake." County officials said staff confused Jacobo with another person who shares her last name.

Family response and timeline

According to reporting by the Arizona Mirror and statements from family members, Jacobo's mother, Ericka Burns, drove to the Polk County jail to confirm pickup details the day before Jacobo's expected release. Jail staff told Burns the plan was to transfer Jacobo to ICE upon release. Burns, along with sisters and tribal leaders, stayed on site and mobilized on social media. Polk County released Jacobo just before 4:30 a.m. on Nov. 12, 2025.

Tribal identity and documentation

Jacobo's aunt, Maria Nunez, told reporters Jacobo was born in Arizona and is enrolled in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community; family members said Jacobo had tribal identification with her. The family also said the ICE detainer had been issued on Nov. 4.

Official statements and records

• Mark Chance, a spokesperson for the Polk County Sheriff's Office, confirmed the detainer existed but said a different detainee with the same last name was mixed up in a clerical error.
• Polk County's online inmate database listed Jacobo's booking record alongside another woman with the same surname; the county declined to publish that other person's full name for safety reasons, preventing independent verification of the exact mix-up.
• The county disputed two points from the Mirror report: it said Jacobo was released on Nov. 12 (the scheduled release date, per Polk County), while the family maintains she had been scheduled for release on Nov. 11 and that the detainer caused delays; and the sheriff's office said the jail operates under an Intergovernmental Agreement that allows leasing beds to ICE rather than a formal 287(g) agreement that delegates immigration-enforcement authority to local staff.

Social media and corroboration

Reporters located family posts on Facebook consistent with the Mirror's reporting: Nunez publicly criticized Polk County officials and accused them of racial profiling, and family members said they would pursue legal action. Public booking records show Jacobo had prior bookings at the Polk County Jail, which aligns with the family's comments that she was not a first-time detainee.

What remains unclear

Polk County acknowledged a clerical error but would not release the full name of the other detainee cited as the source of confusion. The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and ICE were contacted for comment; reporters said they would update the record if they received responses.

Bottom line

The family's account that an ICE detainer was erroneously issued for Leticia Jacobo is supported by Polk County's admission of a clerical mistake, contemporaneous social posts calling for her release, and publicly accessible booking records. Discrepancies remain over the exact release date and the identity of the person with a similar last name who may have been confused with Jacobo.

Sources: Arizona Mirror (Nov. 12, 2025); Polk County Sheriff's Office statements; Polk County inmate database; public social media posts from family members.