The population of immigration detainees in California has surged from 2,303 during 2023 inspections to 6,028 as of site visits last year, according to California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who released the California Department of Justice's fifth report on conditions at facilities holding people detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday, May 15. The dramatic increase reflects President Donald Trump's deportation campaign and a policy change eliminating bond releases for detainees.
The report covers seven immigration facilities operating in California in 2025: Adelanto ICE Processing Center in San Bernardino County, Desert View Annex in San Bernardino County, Imperial Regional Detention Facility in Imperial County, Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego County, Golden State Annex in Kern County, Mesa Verde ICE Processing Facility in Kern County and California City Detention Facility in Kern County. Adelanto ICE Processing Center saw the biggest population surge among the facilities examined.
Facility Operations and Federal Oversight
Bonta said the federal government pays for-profit, private companies to run these detention centers, and characterized conditions as inhumane, cruel and unacceptable. ICE and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to the California DOJ's findings. At multiple facilities, detainees reported overcrowding, undercooked food, inadequate clothing and poor access to clean drinking water, according to Bonta. Detainees also reported they were not consistently able to access requested medical appointments or receive necessary and timely medical treatment, sometimes even for emergency care.
Bonta said California City Detention Center was inadequately staffed and often diverged from national detention standards, and that detainees reported it was being run like a prison. According to Bonta, there were six deaths between September 2025 and March 2026, with four at Adelanto and two at the Imperial Regional Detention Center.
Private Operators Respond
Operators of the seven facilities provided emailed statements in response to the report. Adelanto, Desert View, Golden State and Mesa Verde are GEO Group facilities. A GEO Group spokesperson said its support services are monitored by ICE, including by on-site agency personnel and other organizations within the Department of Homeland Security, to ensure compliance with ICE's detention standards and contract requirements regarding the treatment and services ICE detainees receive. The spokesperson said that in the event issues are identified, the company quickly resolves all of ICE's concerns as required by ICE's Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan.
The spokesperson also said that at locations where GEO provides health care services, individuals are provided access to physicians, nurses, dentists, psychologists and psychiatrists, and that ready access to off-site medical specialists, imaging facilities, Emergency Medical Services and local community hospitals is also provided when needed.
Ryan Gustin, a spokesperson for CoreCivic whose ICE-contracted facilities include California City and Otay Mesa, said the safety, health and well-being of the individuals entrusted to the company's care is its top priority. Gustin said CoreCivic takes seriously its responsibility to adhere to all applicable federal detention standards in its ICE-contracted facilities, including California City and Otay Mesa, which are subject to multiple layers of oversight by government partners, including auditors knowledgeable in the federal government's detention standards who regularly conduct on-site inspections.
Gustin also said detainees have access to health care services and that emergency care is available around the clock daily. He said all CoreCivic immigration facilities where the company provides healthcare adhere to federal detention standards, including staffing.
Medical Care Under Review
Management & Training Corporation, which operates the Imperial Regional facility, said it was taking Bonta's report seriously, especially concerns involving medical care. MTC said the report included numerous positive findings regarding its Imperial Regional facility over health care, programming and recreation, food service and access to courts and attorneys. It also acknowledged concerns over specialist referrals and follow-up care for chronic conditions under the Performance-Based National Detention Standards.
MTC said it takes those concerns seriously and is reviewing the relevant records and processes, including referral tracking, chronic-care monitoring, and coordination with outside providers and ICE Health Service Corps. MTC stated that if its review identifies gaps, delays, or missed standards, it will address them.
Bonta said the report unveiled on May 15 was the California DOJ's fifth examining conditions at immigration detention facilities in the state. He said five reports on substandard and inhumane conditions since 2019 are five too many.
Why This Matters:
The tripling of California's ICE detention population reflects the operational demands of enhanced immigration enforcement, raising questions about whether federal contracting mechanisms and oversight structures can maintain facility standards during rapid expansion. With private operators citing multiple layers of federal oversight while state officials document deteriorating conditions, the disconnect suggests either inadequate federal monitoring or conflicting standards between state and federal authorities. The six deaths in detention facilities between September 2025 and March 2026 underscore the stakes of this operational challenge. As enforcement priorities shift, ensuring that contracted facilities meet federal detention standards while managing population surges will test whether existing public-private partnership models can deliver both security objectives and humane treatment. The response from facility operators—acknowledging concerns while emphasizing compliance mechanisms—suggests the issue may center on capacity management rather than systemic indifference, though outcomes will depend on whether corrective actions match operational realities.