Democrats pay visit to ICE detention facility where abuse claims are rife

Source: The Guardian

Fri 3 Apr 2026 14.45 EDT
First published on Thu 2 Apr 2026 20.56 EDT


Two California lawmakers conducted an oversight visit on Thursday at Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Otay Mesa detention center, an immigrant detention facility that has faced allegations of overcrowding, poor conditions and sexual assaults.

The visit had been previously scheduled. But Mike Levin, a Democratic congressman, told the Guardian he planned to conduct more unannounced visits following a federal court ruling that struck down the Trump administration’s policy of forcing members of Congress to announce oversight visits seven days in advance.

“It’s really critically important that we continue to show up unannounced as often as feasible to make sure that basic human dignity is being adhered to,” Levin said in an interview after the visit. “I’m not one that’s just going to take the word of those involved. I’m going to go there and find out for myself.”

Otay Mesa is run as a for-profit business by CoreCivic, the country’s largest private prison contractor. Located in San Diego near the US-Mexico border, the facility has the capacity to lock up 1,500 immigrant detainees. Levin cited a long list of humanitarian concerns about the facility, including medical care, food, access to uninterrupted sleep, family visitation and access to legal counsel. “We read all kinds of stories,” Levin said. “We hear from constituents.”

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/02/democrats-ice-detention-center