A deal has been signed between the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and private prison and detention contractor CoreCivic to transform its 2,560-bed facility in California City into the newest and largest migrant detention center in the state. For a six-month period beginning in April, the company received $10 million in initial investment with a maximum of $31.2 million. During this time, the two sides will continue to negotiate a long-term arrangement.
When asked when they will start housing detainees, CoreCivic did not reply.
As part of its efforts to shut down private prisons and lower the number of people behind bars, California leased the CoreCivic facility for use as a state jail from 2013 until March 2024.
A bill that outlawed the use of private prisons and facilities for detaining immigrants was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2019. The Trump administration and private prison firm GEO Group filed a lawsuit against the state shortly before it was scheduled to go into force in 2020. The fate of the measure was ultimately decided in 2023 when a federal judge ruled that it violated federal jurisdiction to enforce immigration laws and declared it unlawful as it applied to federal private detention contracts.
Since private state prisons were still prohibited, California closed all of its private prisons, including the California City facility, and made it available for federal use.
Currently, ICE has funding for 41,500 beds spread throughout about 130 prisons across the country. ICE has been requested by the Department of Homeland Security to expand its detention capacity by 60,000 beds, bringing the total to approximately 100,000 beds. In order to expedite this request, ICE has entered into no-bid arrangements with detention companies, claiming that the agency lacks the time necessary to complete a full competitive process.
As of May 27, California had around 3,200 migrants in jail, ranking third overall. However, Louisiana has about 7,300 and Texas has 12,500, much behind this. The state’s capacity will rise by 36% with the installation of the California City facility, increasing the number of beds available to 9,700.
President Trump’s chief border policy advisor, Tom Homan, responded that they are weighing their choices among a number of potential detention facilities when questioned about efforts to expand detention space in California. He underlined that their work will not be hampered by state initiatives. We’ll just send them out of state if they continue to refuse to provide us with detention beds, which will reduce the amount of jail space we have in California.
The current climate has benefited private enforcement, custody, and removal firms. In the first quarter of 2025, there were more than 2,000 more ICE prisoners housed at CoreCivic facilities around the country, according to a recent financial statement. We expect tremendous growth potential, possibly the most significant growth in our company’s history, over the next few years as a result of the policies of the Trump administration, Chief Executive Damon Hininger said shareholders.
After financing was cut off in August 2024 owing to excessive expenses, the business just reopened its 2,400-bed family detention center in Dilley, Texas. Although the city is trying to stop the firm from proceeding without a city permit, CoreCivic and ICE negotiated a deal in March to restore its 1,033-bed former jail in Leavenworth, Kansas, as an immigration detention facility.
Mayor Marquette Hawkins of California City said the rebuilt facility would help the local economy and expects to hire 400 correctional officers and 150 support staff. He does point out that the main minority group, of which 40% are Latino, has voiced concerns. He believes that everyone deserves due process and equitable treatment.
ICE detention facilities have a track record of poor administration, mistreatment, and permitting filthy and hazardous conditions. Although ICE asserts that just 47 grievances were established, the ACLU of Northern California has recorded 508 grievances in California facilities since 2023. They complained about things like retaliation, medical neglect, and dangerous situations.
Brian Kaneda, deputy director of Californians United for a Responsible Budget, a statewide coalition of over 100 organizations that advocate prison reductions, stated, “This is exactly what we’ve been warning about.” California’s shuttered jails, which are still financially supported and fortified, are prime targets for ICE’s cage search unless Governor Newsom acts quickly to permanently seal them.
The state intends to close another jail by October 2026 as the prison population continues to drop. Although CURB applauds the announcement of closure, it points out that the state has not yet completely closed the recently closed jails. The group contends that the continued maintenance and staffing of Chuckawalla Valley State Prison, California Correctional Center, and Deuel Vocational Institution makes them susceptible to federal seizure for use as immigration detention facilities.
Four of the seven immigration detention facilities in the state are housed in old state prisons, in addition to the new facility in California City. They are all privately run businesses.
The majority of facilities across our nation are operated by for-profit businesses whose business model revolves around the detention of individuals, which is something that is frequently left out of the narrative, according to Hamid Yazdan Panah, executive director of the group Immigrant Defense Advocates. Why should our society be at the mercy of private companies that aim to make money by holding people in detention?
According to Panah, the agreements made by ICE and private prisons create islands in California that are not subject to regular state scrutiny. However, he claims that there are methods to let some light in. State and local governments have a significant opportunity to ensure that these facilities meet minimal requirements, and doing so does not in any way, shape, or form interfere with the implementation of immigration laws in our nation.
A 2017 law that mandates the attorney general’s office to examine and report on the circumstances of imprisonment provides one chance to expose what is taking place in these facilities. Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said in a statement regarding the results of the fourth study, which was made public earlier this year, that detention facilities must undergo major upgrades in order to meet the detention requirements set forth by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Senate Bill 1132, which mandates county or city inspections of the hygienic and health conditions in private detention facilities, was passed by the state in 2024. To contest the law, GEO Group sued the Kern County Public Health Department and the state of California. The lawsuit is probably going to be dropped. Jeremy McNutt, the lawyer for the Kern County health department, stated that his client had no plans to visit the facility and that GEO Group’s worries were unwarranted.
Mayor Hawkins, two other council members, and a community member were invited on a tour on Tuesday. Representatives from CoreCivic gave the group a tour of the facility and informed them of the upcoming wraparound services and indoor and outdoor recreation programs. The professionalism of the CoreCivic personnel struck him as he departed, and he even witnessed some community members, including a former council member, interviewing and completing the five-week training program to work at the facility.
Prior to entering politics, he envisioned the abandoned prison as a teaching ground for vocational skills like welding, HVAC, and even Cal Fire. CoreCivic gave his suggestion some thought, but informed him that they preferred to wait for the election results to see what the political environment would bring. His training program never materialized because of Trump’s victory and ICE’s growth, but after his tour, he believes the new detention center is making the most of a very difficult situation. Regardless of what CoreCivic and the federal government do, he warns that might change and says his office would be looking into methods to have some oversight.
This story was contributed by Andrea Castillo.
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