California CityThe Desert Detention Machine
CoreCivic Immigration Processing Center · Kern County, California · 22844 Virginia Blvd.
Facility Overview
The California City Immigration Processing Center is a 2,560-bed private immigration detention facility owned and operated by CoreCivic, Inc. in the Mojave Desert, approximately 100 miles north of Los Angeles. It is the largest ICE detention center in California. Originally built on speculation in 1998 without any government contract, the facility cycled through years of emptiness, federal use, and state prison operations before being reactivated in August 2025 as an immigration jail under a $130 million contract with ICE.
A Prison Built on Speculation
1998–1999: Construction Without a Contract
Corrections Corporation of America (now CoreCivic) built the facility in 1998 as a speculative venture — a prison constructed in the Mojave Desert with no guaranteed client, gambling that California’s overcrowding crisis would eventually create demand. It became a notorious symbol of private prison industry excess: a purpose-built prison with no prisoners.
1999–2006: The Empty Prison
For nearly a decade, the facility sat largely empty. CCA lobbied aggressively for California contracts while the state resisted privatization despite severe overcrowding under the federal court order in Plata v. Schwarzenegger.
2006–2013: Federal Use
Beginning in 2006, the facility housed federal inmates for the U.S. Marshals Service and ICE, with daily transportation to the San Diego County Courthouse and connections to JPATS-Victorville (“Con Air”). Federal use ended in 2013.
2013–2023: State Prison
Responding to the federal court order in Brown v. Plata, CDCR leased the facility for $28.5 million per year. Governor Newsom signed AB 32 in 2019, banning private prison contracts. The state contract ended in 2023/2024.
2020: AB 32 Blocked by Federal Courts
In GEO Group v. Newsom, Judge Janis Sammartino (S.D. Cal.) blocked AB 32’s application to ICE facilities under the Supremacy Clause. The Ninth Circuit upheld the injunction, opening the door for what came next.
2025: Reactivation
After sitting vacant for roughly a year, CoreCivic signed a letter contract with ICE on April 1, 2025 and began receiving detainees on August 27 — without the mayor’s knowledge, without permits, and without basic preparations. A $130 million definitive contract followed in September.
Timeline of Events
April 2025 – February 2026 · All events verified via web search
Conditions Documentation
Findings below are synthesized from Disability Rights California, the California Attorney General, the ACLU class action complaint, and congressional oversight visits. The consistency across independent sources is notable.
Medical Care
- Insulin denied to diabetics; oozing ulcers wrapped in soiled bandages
- Cancer biopsy delayed for months
- Heart medication denied; patient hospitalized twice, told he could die
- Detainee urinating blood; no medical response
- No women’s health supplies when female detainees received
- Disability Rights CA: medication distribution failures
Physical Conditions
- Sewage bubbling from shower drains
- Bug infestations throughout
- Plumbing and rainwater leaks in living spaces
- Visible mold; metallic-tasting water
- Insufficient clothing and blankets for desert cold
- On opening: toilets with fecal matter; no cleaning supplies
Confinement
- Seven daily counts, up to 90 min each (locked in cells)
- Recreation: 1 hour/day, 5 days/week only
- Excessive solitary confinement / restrictive housing
- No programming; locked in cells most of the day
- No contact visitation for any detainee
- 256-bed segregation unit in original design
Legal Access & Due Process
- 100+ miles from nearest major city / immigration attorneys
- No know-your-rights presentations (NDS 2025 violation)
- VTC hearings degrade due process
- Deaf plaintiff: one interpreter interaction (via video) since admission
- Staff “shrug, walk away, or laugh” at Deaf detainee
- New ERO eFile scheduling imposed Feb. 2026
Follow the Money
Contract Structure
The IGSA (Intergovernmental Service Agreement) structure routes the contract through the City of California City as a pass-through entity. The small municipality (pop. ~14,000) has limited economic activity beyond the prison, creating a structural dependency on detention revenue that incentivizes cooperation. The city planning commission and council have repeatedly claimed they lack authority over CoreCivic’s operations, despite the pass-through arrangement.
CoreCivic Q4 2025
ICE management revenue more than doubled from Q4 2024 to Q4 2025. Adjusted EBITDA rose to $92.5M from $74.2M. Operating margins dipped to 22.2% from 23.6% due to activation costs at California City, West Tennessee, and Diamondback — expected to recover as facilities stabilize in 2026.
Active Litigation
Seven named plaintiffs seeking class certification for all detainees. Conditions of confinement, medical neglect, disability accommodation failures. Counsel: ACLU National Prison Project, Prison Law Office, California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice, Keker Van Nest & Peters LLP.
Alleges CoreCivic is operating without required permits in violation of SB 29 (2018) and local ordinances. SB 29 requires 180 days’ public notice and two public hearings before permit issuance for private immigration detention.
Preliminary injunction blocking AB 32’s application to federal ICE detention upheld by Ninth Circuit. Enabled continued private detention operations in California despite state ban.
Seven-day advance notice requirement reimposed by Noem memo (Jan. 8, 2026). Prior injunction by Judge Cobb (Dec. 2025) blocked as to new directive. House Democrats’ lawsuit remains active.
References
All sources verified via web search · February 26, 2026