Private prison operator CoreCivic announced Monday it has sold two of its California detention facilities to the federal government — including the Otay Mesa Detention Center.
The sale was completed last Thursday for Otay Mesa and the California City Detention Facility for a total of $1.5 billion, according to an announcement issued to investors on Monday.
“CoreCivic donated $500,000 to the Trump-Vance inaugural committee. Now, DHS is rewarding the company with a billion-dollar taxpayer-funded windfall that helps erase its debt while allowing it to continue operating ICE detention facilities,” said San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre, whose district encompasses the detention center, in a statement.
“The message is clear: this partnership views human lives as revenue streams and detention facilities as real estate investments. That is not public safety. That is a business model built on fear. Our immigrant families deserve dignity, due process, and respect. They are not revenue streams.”
CoreCivic said it would continue to manage both facilities as part of its existing contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Earlier this year, the California Department of Justice issued a report that concluded overcrowding was a major issue at the facility that was impacting detainee access to prompt medical care and basic necessities.
San Diego County also sued the federal government and CoreCivic earlier this year after a coalition of lawmakers — including Paloma Aguirre — were blocked from inspecting the facility.
The Otay Mesa Detention Center has come under scrutiny regarding its conditions, particularly with a recent influx of detainees amid the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts.
County officials say detainees have reported “freezing temperatures, untreated medical conditions, and food unfit for human consumption” at the facility, prompting requests for elected officials and public health personnel to inspect the prison.
A San Diego federal judge granted the lawmakers’ request and ordered the facility to permit a health inspection by county leaders last month.
