Immigrants held at California’s newest federal detention center have described conditions as a “torture chamber,” a “zoo,” and a “living hell.” The California City detention center, which opened in late August, has become the largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in the state. Detainees allege overcrowded cells, squalid conditions, and severe medical neglect.
Six detainees spoke to the media about their experiences, detailing squalid conditions and alleged mistreatment by staff. The center, located in the desert about 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles, was formerly a state prison that closed in March 2024. The private prison company CoreCivic reopened the facility as an ICE detention center in response to the Trump administration’s efforts to rapidly expand immigration detention capacity.
Critics say the process was rushed, and local officials claim CoreCivic is operating the facility illegally because it lacks the necessary licenses. As part of the administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement strategy, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has allocated $45 billion to increase detention facilities, with the goal of accommodating more than 100,000 detainees. Detainee numbers reached record levels this summer.
May God bless those innocent people.
