Nevada Southern Detention Center — CoreCivic private prison in Pahrump, Nye County

Overview

The Nevada Southern Detention Center in Pahrump, NV (Nye County) is a 1,064-bed CoreCivic facility that serves as the state’s primary ICE detention center. It holds a mix of ICE detainees, Federal Bureau of Prisons inmates, and U.S. Marshals prisoners. The ICE contract allows a maximum of 250 detainees per day, but the facility has been dramatically over that limit throughout 2025.

Overcrowding Crisis

April 2025: Exceeded ICE contract capacity by 40+ people per day
Peak FY2025: 462 ICE detainees — over 200 above the 250-bed contract cap
November 2025: 461 ICE detainees (up from 365 in September)
Ranked among the 10 most overcrowded immigration facilities nationally out of 180 ICE detention centers
For context: facility held only 163 ICE detainees at end of 2023

Tent Expansion Proposal

ICE has contemplated building a “soft-side” facility (tent-based structure) at the site that would add 450 beds, more than doubling current ICE detention capacity in Nevada. CoreCivic’s managing director for proposal development emailed plans to ICE on June 21, 2025 in response to an ICE request for information. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told media the planning documents were “outdated and hadn’t been approved.” As of April 2026, the tent expansion status remains unclear.

Conditions Complaints

Over 30 reports in 2025 documenting medical negligence, racial discrimination, and verbal assault
Detainees lack reliable access to immigration attorneys or resources
Federal investigation prompted by complaints
Rep. Steven Horsford was denied a facility visit
CoreCivic entered a new contract in February 2025 to increase Nevada facility capacity

Financial Context

Nearby Nye County Detention Center terminated its own ICE contract in November 2024, citing unsustainable costs — leaving this CoreCivic facility as the dominant ICE detention site in southern Nevada.

Detention Pipeline