DHS Buys Two CoreCivic Detention Centers for $1.5 Billion, Shielding Them From State Oversight

The Department of Homeland Security purchased two privately run Southern California detention facilities from CoreCivic — the 1,994-bed Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego County for $739.2 million and the 2,560-bed California City Detention Facility in Kern County for $732.6 million — in a sale that closed July 2. Moving the prisons from private to federal ownership may shield them from California’s detention-oversight laws, which give state officials inspection authority over privately operated facilities. The purchase comes as DHS scales up detention capacity while both facilities face ongoing litigation and complaints over conditions.