U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla and two San Diego County Board of Supervisors members were denied entry to the Otay Mesa Detention Center on Friday as they attempted to conduct oversight visits of the facility amid reports of harsh conditions inside.
Padilla, the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, waited roughly an hour outside the CoreCivic-operated facility before being turned away. ICE officials told him he had not given the required seven days' notice, but Padilla said members of Congress have the legal authority to conduct unannounced oversight visits of any federal facility. "What do they have to hide?" he said afterward. "What does this administration have to hide?"
Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer and Supervisor Paloma Aguirre were also denied entry, despite what they described as prior written email confirmation of their access. The supervisors said they were attempting to conduct a county health inspection authorized under California law. The county's chief medical officer was allowed inside, but was not permitted to meet with any detainees or review medical records. Lawson-Remer and Aguirre said they would file a lawsuit over the denial.
The attempted visits follow weeks of troubling reports from inside the facility. Detainees have thrown notes attached to lotion and shampoo bottles over the fence, alleging poor nutrition, widespread illness, overcrowding, and no access to outdoor areas. "It's cold here, the food is very poor. For 290 [days] we haven't eaten a single piece of fruit, banana, orange or anything else," read one note obtained by NBC 7. One previously detained woman described the food as inadequate and said she was not given medication for her diabetes while inside. Rep. Juan Vargas was also turned away from the facility two weeks earlier.
In a statement, CoreCivic said the "safety, health and well-being of the individuals entrusted to our care is our top priority" and that all visits must be coordinated and approved by ICE. ICE did not respond to requests for comment. Padilla's Senate office noted that the facility has not been inspected by the DHS Office of Inspector General since 2021, when it was found to not meet standards for grievances, segregation, or staff-detainee communications. San Diego County's public health officer had formally asserted inspection authority in a letter sent to the facility on Feb. 9.