CALIFORNIA – California attorney general Rob Bonta sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security highlighting dangerous conditions at the California City Detention Facility.
According to Bonta, earlier this year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) opened a new detention facility in California City — the largest in the state, without ensuring it was fully prepared to receive civil immigration detainees.
The warning comes amid four recent deaths at ICE facilities across the nation. The detainees, from Haiti, Nicaragua, Eritrea, and Bulgaria, died between December 12 and 15, ICE notices said.
During an inspection authorized under Assembly Bill 103, the California Department of Justice identified serious facility conditions and inadequate medical care in California City.
In the letter, Bonta cited inexperienced and understaffed personnel, incomplete records, due process concerns, and unsanitary living conditions.
“My team has seen and heard firsthand the dangerous conditions at California’s newest detention facility — conditions that violate ICE’s own standards. I implore DHS to take action to address these serious issues,” said Bonta.
Plumbing leaks in living spaces
Last month, DOJ staff toured the ICE facility, interviewed staff and detainees, and reviewed medical and detention records.
They identified conditions, which they said appear to violate multiple ICE National Detention Standards.
The facility was opened prematurely and was not prepared to meet the needs of its incoming population. It lacked enough medical doctors for the size of its detainee population. Staff responsible for day-to-day supervision appeared inexperienced.
Detainees reported rainwater and plumbing leaks in their living spaces, inadequate clothing and blankets, and threats of write‑ups for covering vents to block cold air.
Bonta’s team also found the facility lacks an adequate healthcare system. In addition, the facility began receiving female detainees before securing basic women’s health supplies, violating multiple ICE standards.
Private operator CoreCivic appears to violate ICE detention standards
In the letter to DHS, Bonta highlighted the findings of DOJ staff at the facility.
He said the findings appear to violate ICE detention standards, which CoreCivic, the private operator, is required to follow.
The letter provides DHS with the information it needs to take corrective action.
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