Immigrants Protest Conditions at California’s Largest ICE Facility

(KERN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA) Immigrants held at the California City Immigration Processing Center staged a protest over what they describe as unsafe and inhumane conditions after the facility quietly reopened in 2025 under the private operator CoreCivic. The detention center, located in the Mojave Desert and capable of holding 2,560 detainees, is the largest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) site in California.

Advocates say the reopening came with little public notice, angering families, community groups, and local leaders who worry about increased ICE arrests and weak oversight. Nonprofits, including Faith in the Valley, have raised alarms about how the facility resumed operations after California ended for-profit prison contracts in 2024.

Organizers say they were not given the 180-day public notice they believe is required by state law SB29, arguing the public had no meaningful chance to review the plan or push for stronger safeguards. CoreCivic, for its part, says it provides “safe, humane and appropriate housing and care,” and notes it works within federal and local rules.

Reopening raises legal and community questions

California City is now the third privately run ICE facility in Kern County, deepening debate over private detention in a region already familiar with immigration enforcement. The return of operations under CoreCivic has renewed old tensions.

Supporters argue the facility brings jobs and a controlled process for federal detention. Critics emphasize past complaints about medical care, cleanliness, and retaliation against people who speak up.

Community groups point to alleged gaps in transparency around the reopening. They say local residents only learned key details after ICE transfers began. According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the California City facility has long been a flashpoint because of its size and distance from major cities, which can make access to lawyers, family visits, and independent monitoring harder.

• Families report driving hours across Kern County to visit loved ones.
• Visitors often face limits on phone calls, video access, or in-person visits due to internal rules or staffing.
• Advocates worry a larger detention footprint could fuel more arrests in the region, even if ICE has not announced new arrest targets tied to the facility.

Local schools, churches, and farmworker groups have started know-your-rights meetings and emergency planning for families in case a parent is detained.

Reports of retaliation and health concerns

Protests inside and outside the facility have included hunger strikes and public demonstrations. Detainees and their supporters describe:

• Medical neglect
• Unsanitary conditions
• Retaliation for filing grievances

They report that ICE often answers peaceful protests with physical force, including pepper spray, and uses solitary confinement on detainees who push back. These claims reflect a broader pattern immigrant rights groups have flagged for years across the country.

Nationwide, advocacy organizations say about 90% of people in ICE custody are held in for-profit facilities. They argue that profit-driven contracts can create pressure to cut staff, limit services, or delay care. As detention numbers have risen in recent years, complaints about:

• slow medical attention
• poor mental health support

have also grown. VisaVerge.com reports these concerns track with a larger national debate over whether civil immigration detention can meet basic standards while managed by private companies.

CoreCivic maintains that it follows federal standards and provides appropriate care. ICE sets detention rules and conducts inspections and says it investigates allegations of misconduct. For readers wanting the official baseline, the agency publishes its U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention standards: https://www.ice.gov/detention-standards. These outline policies on medical care, recreation, legal access, grievance systems, and use of force.

Advocates stress that written standards do not always match what people experience inside.

Personal accounts and systemic impacts

Families of detainees describe daily life shaped by distance and uncertainty.

• A mother from Fresno said her son’s insulin ran low before an appointment, leaving her frantic and unsure whom to call.
• A farmworker’s husband said he received mixed messages about video visitation, missing two scheduled calls in a week.

These stories echo the core complaint from protest organizers: systems meant to protect people in civil custody break down too often, and those who complain risk punishment.

Faith in the Valley and other nonprofits are pushing for:

• Independent inspections
• Public release of incident reports
• A clear schedule for community briefings
• A hotline for detainees that connects to outside monitors (not just internal staff)

Lawyers working on humanitarian parole and asylum cases say delays in getting medical records and incident logs make it harder to present strong claims.

Legal questions and oversight demands

Legal questions remain about SB29 and whether the state’s 180-day notice requirement for local contracts was met. Attorneys say the timeline and paperwork around California City’s reopening should be reviewed by state officials and, if necessary, in court. They argue public notice is not just a paperwork step; it gives residents a real chance to ask how the facility will handle:

• medical care
• language access
• transfers

ICE and CoreCivic both say they welcome oversight and comply with the law, citing regular audits and inspections. However, advocates note that past inspections have sometimes allowed facilities to pass despite repeated complaints and call for unannounced visits by truly independent reviewers who can speak with detainees privately.

Community response and practical advice for families

The protests have drawn support from faith leaders, students, and labor groups who link detention conditions to broader concerns about fairness in the immigration system. They argue civil detention should not mirror punishment, especially when many detainees have no criminal history and are awaiting court decisions.

Community members are asking county officials to push for stronger transparency requirements anytime a large detention facility opens or expands.

For people with loved ones inside the California City Immigration Processing Center, local nonprofits recommend practical steps:

1. Keep detailed notes on medical requests, missed calls, and housing moves.
2. Collect signed medical releases so lawyers can request records.
3. Document any use-of-force claims with dates and names if possible.
4. Save copies of correspondence and incident reports.

These records can help in formal complaints and legal proceedings.

Ongoing debate

The return of California’s largest ICE facility under CoreCivic has reignited a long-running debate: should civil immigration custody be handled by private companies, especially in remote areas where oversight is harder?

For now, detentions continue, protests grow, and questions about safety, medical care, and transparency remain at the center of public concern in Kern County.