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San Diego County filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday alleging the Trump administration illegally blocked a public health inspection of the Otay Mesa Detention Center, escalating a dispute over oversight of the privately-run immigration detention facility near the U.S.-Mexico border.
The complaint seeks a court order requiring the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and private prison contractor CoreCivic to allow county health officials inside to conduct a full inspection. According to the lawsuit, ICE initially cleared county officials to enter the facility but reversed that decision when the inspection team arrived.
“The Trump administration cannot hide conditions inside the Otay Mesa detention facility,” said San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Terra Lawson-Remer at a news conference outside the federal courthouse. “If they will not allow a lawful public health inspection, a federal court will.”
Tennessee-based CoreCivic did not respond to a request for comment. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The White House referred CalMatters to the Department of Homeland Security. In a written statement, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson countered that San Diego officials improperly requested the inspection by failing to provide seven days notice to ICE. “These procedures and protocols exist for the safety of detainees, staff, and visitors,” the statement said.
San Diego officials say the inspection is authorized under a 2024 California law that grants local public health officers power to inspect private detention facilities to ensure they meet health and safety standards. CalMatters reported in October that local officials across the state were not utilizing the new authority.
“This is our job. This authority exists for a reason. Diseases and unsafe conditions impact those inside the facility and do not stop at lock gates. Staff, contractors, and visitors move between that facility and our community every single day,” said Lawson-Remer.
San Diego County Public Health Officer Dr. Sayone Thihalolipavan arrived at the Otay facility on Feb. 20 to conduct an inspection under California’s health code after what county officials described as “alarming reports from inside the facility.”
San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre, whose district includes the detention center, cited CalMatters reporting describing some of those conditions, including the detention of a deaf Mongolian man who was held for more than four months without access to an interpreter. His attorney described as similar to being held in solitary confinement. Aguirre also cited other reports of unsafe conditions inside, including illness, inadequate food and delays in medical care.
“Unfortunately, what we’re seeing today reflects a broader pattern under the Trump administration where federal agencies are increasingly blocking transparency and oversight even when public health is at stake,” said Aguirre.
Detainees at two other privately run detention centers in California have also sued the federal government over conditions inside the facilities. The companies running them have maintained they are operating the detention centers in accordance with federal law.
In one of the lawsuits, attorneys for detainees at the Adelanto Detention Center on Tuesday filed a motion that includes more than two dozen sworn declarations alleging dirty water, rotten food and people being locked in solitary for asking for basic necessities at the site in San Bernardino County.
The same day CoreCivic and ICE denied San Diego County officials access to the Otay Mesa Detention Center, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla attempted to conduct an unannounced visit.
A federal law authorizes members of Congress to conduct oversight at detention facilities without prior notice. The Department of Homeland Security had required lawmakers to provide seven days notice for visits, but a federal judge in December temporarily suspended that restriction, affirming that lawmakers can conduct real-time oversight of detention centers.
County Counsel Damon Brown said the lawsuit argues the federal government’s refusal violates the Administrative Procedure Act because officials failed to provide a lawful explanation for blocking the state-authorized inspection.
“Any entity operating within San Diego County must comply with state health and safety laws, and no entity is exempt,” Brown said.
CalMatters reporters Deborah Sullivan Brennan and Jeanne Kuang contributed to this reporting.
