Overview

Otay Mesa Detention Center is a CoreCivic-operated facility near the San Diego-Tijuana border, contracted for 1,358 beds but routinely operating over capacity. San Diego County has sued DHS after being blocked from health inspections, making this a key flashpoint in the sanctuary-vs-federal conflict.

Key Details

• Capacity: 1,358 (contracted)
• Actual population: Averaging 1,456 (Oct-Nov 2025); exceeded 1,600 on multiple days in September 2025
• 82% of detainees have no criminal convictions
• Operator: CoreCivic
• Annual contract value: ~$138M

County Sues DHS (March 2026)

San Diego County supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer and Paloma Aguirre led effort to sue DHS after ICE blocked a public health inspection in February 2026. The county asserts legal authority to inspect. Federal government is fighting access.

Congressional Oversight (April 2026)

Reps. Mike Levin and Sara Jacobs toured the facility April 2, 2026. Levin described conditions as “roughly on par” with civilian facilities but questioned whether what they saw reflected normal operations: “How much of that was for us, versus how much is the standard?”

Conditions Reports

• Detainees report freezing temperatures, untreated medical conditions, food unfit for human consumption
• Families describe “torture and negligence,” severe overcrowding, lack of basic hygiene, spoiled food
• Systemic medical negligence: chronic illnesses untreated, no specialist access

Update (October 2026)

• Sold to the federal government. NBC San Diego (Jul 6, 2026) reports the sale of Otay Mesa and the California City Detention Facility to the federal government for $1.5 billion in total, with CoreCivic continuing to manage both “under existing contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement” (NBC San Diego; contract term not stated).
• County inspection ordered and held. A federal court ordered access in June 2026 and the county inspected for eight hours; on Sep 17, 2026 the county reported a suspected TB case was reported three weeks late and issued a notice of noncompliance. Details and sources: ca-sandiego-otay-mesa-health-inspection-lawsuit.

Sources

• CalMatters — San Diego County sues ICE
• KPBS — San Diego County sues DHS
• inewsource — Congressional reps inspect Otay Mesa
• Times of San Diego — Two more officials tour facility
• CalMatters — Lawmakers blocked from entering
• NBC San Diego: CoreCivic sells Otay Mesa Detention Center for billion-dollar deal (Jul 6, 2026)
• KPBS: San Diego County threatens licensing action after Otay Mesa Detention Center conceals suspected TB case (Sep 17, 2026)