U.S. Reps. Mike Levin (D-Carlsbad) and Sara Jacobs (D-San Diego) toured the Otay Mesa immigration detention center Thursday in the latest effort by elected officials to shed light on conditions there.
“It’s nowhere you’d want to spend a long period of time,” Levin said after concluding the tour.
The ongoing national immigration crackdown has brought a resurgence of attention to conditions inside detention centers, some of which have faced allegations of assault, medical neglect or other forms of mistreatment for years.
The Otay Mesa Detention Center. (Photo by Adrian Childress/Times of San Diego)The facilities, which serve the federal government and are often run by private contractors, face little local accountability, but federal law gives members of Congress the unique authority to inspect the sites themselves at any time.
That authority has been contested during the second Trump administration. Six weeks ago, Sen. Alex Padilla and Juan Vargas (D-Chula Vista) were turned away at the door when they attempted to tour the facility, saying ICE officials told them they needed to submit a request seven days in advance.
Levin and Jacobs organized their visit with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and with CoreCivic, the private prison giant that operates the Otay Mesa center, in advance, and said they could not tell whether the conditions in the detention center were arranged specifically to assuage their concerns.
“It’s hard to know how much of the cleanliness is for us or is the standard,” Levin said. He mentioned the visit was prompted by concerns raised by recent reports of medication shortages, inedible food, and difficulty accessing medical records.
On March 2, a federal judge ruled on a case brought by members of Congress against a recent policy requiring advance notice, finding that members of Congress do not need to request permission in advance to tour detention facilities. “We plan on making unannounced visits,” Jacobs said.
Immigration: A year into Trump administration’s arrests, separated families struggle to stay afloat
Levin and Jacobs said they toured inmate living quarters, the cafeteria and medical offices, but did not have time to speak with inmates.
Though the representatives assured the public in their press conference that they believe the CoreCivic personnel they met on the visit are “doing the best they can,” Jacobs noted that “it really does feel like a criminal detention facility,” with inmates wearing prison-garb, even though the majority of people held there have not been convicted of any crime.
Jacobs said she hopes the visit will help to prevent any potential abuses against residents from occurring in the center. “Just that they know we’re watching is important,” Jacobs said.
Hence then, the article about two more federal officials tour otay mesa migrant center it really does feel like a criminal detention facility was published today ( ) and is available on Times of San Diego ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Two more federal officials tour Otay Mesa migrant center: ‘It really does feel like a criminal detention facility’ )
Also on site :