SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Trump administration officials today denied accusations from San Diego County officials that conditions are substandard at the Otay Mesa Detention Center.
County officials released a report Saturday that found the average daily population at the center has increased by approximately 200% in recent years, and said the increase is raising public-health concerns and significantly increasing the cost of providing legal representation to protect constitutional due-process rights.
Some county leaders say access to medical care is increasingly at issue. The report was released as the county seeks a preliminary injunction in federal court after being denied access to conduct a scheduled public-health inspection of the facility.
"Mass detention is a policy choice, and it is creating both a constitutional crisis and growing public-health concerns as facilities struggle to keep pace," San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Terra Lawson-Remer said. "People are being swept off our streets and locked in overcrowded facilities while local officials are blocked from inspecting conditions. As due-process protections are eroded at the federal level, counties like ours are being forced to step in, at significant cost, to defend the Constitution and the rule of law."
The Department of Homeland Security issued the following statement Sunday to City News Service: "ICE is regularly audited and inspected by external agencies to ensure that all ICE facilities comply with performance-based national detention standards. All detainees are provided with proper meals, quality water, blankets, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers."
"ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens. It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody. This includes medical, dental, and mental health intake screening within 12 hours of arriving at each detention facility, a full health assessment within 14 days of entering ICE custody or arrival at a facility, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care,'' the DHS statement continued. "This is the best health care many aliens have received in their entire lives. Meals are certified by dieticians. Ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of individuals in our custody is a top priority at ICE."
Lawson-Remer said that because the county's Immigrant Legal Defense Program provides legal representation only to individuals who are detained or subject to alternative detention, rising detention levels are directly expanding the number of people eligible for assistance.
"When local officials are prevented from inspecting detention facilities, legal representation becomes one of the only safeguards protecting health, safety, and constitutional rights," she said.
The report found the program's average monthly active detained case load grew from about 56 clients in fiscal year 2021-22 to almost 800 in FY 2024-25, with projections of roughly 1,200 active clients per month in the current fiscal year.
Officials said the surge reflects both newly detained individuals entering the system and the prolonged detention of clients whose immigration cases often span multiple years, a dynamic that is driving sustained increases in attorney staffing needs and long-term program costs.
Projected legal representation costs were estimated to reach about $12.6 million next year and $17.3 million in FY 2027-28. The program's current annual funding level is about $5 million.
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